


Hugo (A Goddamn Cockatoo)

by Shatterpath



Series: The 13 AUs of Christmas 2017 [12]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/F, Fucking Hugo Was My Warcry For This PIece, Just to be different, Kara and Lena are full-blood related to their families, Lena and her chickens delight me, Not Evil Luthors, Pets, Sassy, So Are The Luthors, The Danvers Are A Smart Bunch, Who Knew Cockatoos Would Be Charming, my architecture fetish is showing again, so much sass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2018-02-21
Packaged: 2019-02-19 12:43:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 25,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13123974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shatterpath/pseuds/Shatterpath
Summary: When Lena's pet pulls a jailbreak, she's beside herself with worry. Who will help her find him? And what might it lead to?The lost pet/neighbors AUFor the thirteen AUs of Christmas, my author wrote for me,A cheesy filk sung badly,Luthors who aren't evil,Sexy Space pirates,Amazing awful first date,Meeting at a fan con,Christmas at Hogwarts,Stranded with one bed,Little girls with crushes,A critically thought out ABOooooo!Soulmate inner voice,College soccer stars,A goddamn cockatoo,





	1. Jailbreak

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, I don't even like the parrot family. They're noisy and messy and a pal had one that kept biting holes in my shirts. But, it suits this scenario and the oh-so-extra Luthor family! I honestly don't remember how I came upon the black palm cockatoos. Probably looked up something large and expensive. And yes, Hugo won me over too. Dammit.
> 
> In this first chapter, and on a whim, I managed to use all of these but two! Booya.  
> http://shatterpath.tumblr.com/post/166355543613/15-drabble-prompts-pt-4-situations-and-locations  
> Under the bed  
> Lying in the grass  
> Covered in feathers  
> Caught in the rain  
> Lost pet  
> Stuck in elevator  
> Tripped down stairs  
> Fresh picked flowers  
> Windy day  
>  ~~Pillow fight~~  
>  Stuck in a tree  
> Stolen coat  
> Broken glasses  
> Back of a library  
>  ~~At the drive-in movies~~

It started with a jailbreak.

Lena got home from class, already damp from the storm rolling in, only to see the empty cage and an old window sash chewed until a scaly foot and sharp beak had clearly slid the thing open enough to rip a hole in the screen. Thus began the frantic search for Hugo. Not under her bed where he would sometimes curl up and glare. Not in the hallways of the cute little brownstone she shared with three other tenants.

Nearly hyperventilating, she barely remembered to race upstairs to get a jacket and lock her door, tripping on the stairs and adding aching knees and broken glasses to her suddenly horrible day. The slap of wind and rain the moment she stepped outside made her want to cry.

Hours later, she felt even worse, having ranged all over her neighborhood at the edge of campus, calling for Hugo until her voice was hoarse. Where the hell had one damn cockatoo with clipped wings even gotten too?

Lying out in the grass in front of one of the farther-flung dorms, Lena was completely uncaring that she was the focus of some distant curiosity from the residents. After all, she had just half-fallen out of their tree. But she had sworn she heard…

"Hugo?"

She was sure of it, that noisy screech muffled, but close.

"Hugo!"

"About two foot high? Filthy mouth on him?"

The unexpected voice was smooth and clear, matching the very pretty face of the woman who had snuck up on her. Even flat on her back in the wet grass, exhausted and upset, Lena was smitten. She was also really anxious about her unusual pet, rolling over and clumsily scrabbling to her feet.

"Oh god, did you find him? Black feathers, red cheeks? Blue band on his leg?"

"Screaming his head off to get to you? Yeah, I have him. Found him grazing on dandelions behind the library believe it or not. I feel like I'll have to apologize to him later for throwing my coat on him, but I think he's taken his revenge out on it already. That beak is a real scythe, huh?"

So bamboozled from her day, Lena only then noticed that the bundle of fabric in the woman's arms was twitching. Sobbing with relief, she laid her hand on the mass and he seemed to sense her touch and quiet, whistling out a piercing note of greeting.

The hiccupping tears were not feigned. "Thank you so much, I was so worried."

Concern on the woman's face evaporated in her wide smile. "I can see that. It's good to see such a responsible pet owner. Can I give you a hand home? All three of us need to get out of this weather."

"Oh god, right. Yes. Yes, of course. I'm right around the corner."

"Me too."

It wasn't until they reached her building that Lena realized she was shaking like a leaf. Traumatized and freezing despite the temperate climate, she needed desperately to warm up and calm down. There were days she wished she had an elevator in the building, but knowing how her day had gone so far, perhaps that was a good thing. The idea of getting stuck in an elevator was not a fun one, no matter how cute her neighbor might be.

Some of the redness of her face wasn't from the weather outside.

"I remember looking at this building when I came to the neighborhood," cute neighbor mused as she gamely slogged up the stairs. An abrupt turn nearly sent them both tumbling and Hugo squawked in his fabric prison.

"Oh, you don't have to--"

"Hey, it's okay. You look like you're about to fall over. Let me at least get you to your door."

It was a good thing she was there too, because Lena's trembling hands couldn't even manage her keys. With the door opened, the nice stranger gently handed over the fabric bundle and smiled sweetly. "You'll be okay?"

The kindness choked her up and she nodded, cradling her almost-lost pet. "Thank you again, so much."

"My pleasure. You and Hugo take care now."

It wasn't until sometime later, warmed and calmer with Hugo pacing his perch and mumbling over the snacks she handed to him, that Lena realized she had never even gotten the woman's name.


	2. Meet Cute

Like all parrots, Hugo was a long-lived animal, a staple in Lionel Luthor's life long before children, college, even marriage. Wife and son had never understood the bird or Lionel's attachment to him.

But his daughter did.

Endlessly fascinated by the huge cockatoo and his inky black feathers that would move and dance seemingly at random, Lena had gone to great effort to befriend Hugo. She listened very seriously to her father about his care, and made sure to always be kind, and by the time she was talking well, Hugo adored her.

When they both lost Lionel too soon, too recently, too unexpectedly, they were the best source of comfort to one another. Even if the chaos of having him underfoot 24/7 was still taking some getting used to.

Somehow sensing Lena approaching wakefulness, Hugo started up his racket, chuckling and whistling happily for her. In truth, she loved it, had grown used to the sense of home he brought her.

"G'morning, handsome," Lena called out blearily and smiled at the wet-squeaky rubber, almost cat-like chatter of his greeting call. Drowsy and sore, she flailed out a lazy hand to collect her glasses from the bedside table. For a long moment she was baffled at the heavy, ugly black frames. What had her oh-so charming ex called them? Birth control glasses? Asshole. Still, they worked as a backup pair.

A backup pair.

Oh god, the escape! The rain and falling on the stairs and from the tree, and that awful, sickening dread of finding Hugo gone.

Then the sweet, sexy neighbor who had brought him back to her.

Lena was so distracted that the familiar clattering of Jess arriving for the day made her jump.

"Good morning, Hugo. Morning, Lena!"

Hugo, of course, loudly echoed her greeting in his parrot voice, interspersed with a variety of clicks and a few sharp whistles.

Lena's relationship with Jess was a strange one. Lex had hired the other woman, a few years Lena's senior, when both were still in their teens. "You'll need a personal assistant you can trust, sis," he'd said bossily, ignoring how uncomfortable both of them were. "Give it a few weeks and see how you get along. Trust me."

And Lena had never let Jess go.

She didn't know how her brother knew how to pick the perfect person to act as the other half of her brain, but he did. They'd maintained a surprisingly harmonious balance of work and personal that suited both of them.

Hugo was neutral towards her, which was good enough for both he and Jess. And she provided the bulk of the toys he and that deadly beak of his gleefully ripped to pieces. In truth, Lena was quite sure that, while most people would be surprised by a college student with a personal assistant, she could never juggle school, Hugo and mourning her father without real help.

The smell of coffee coaxed Lena to full wakefulness and she wearily rolled out of bed and into sweats and slippers to take care of her now-familiar first task of the day. Which started with ensuring the doors to the various rooms of the apartment were closed. Then she could greet her noisy roommate, who went into a delighted frenzy of wing-spread, head-bobbing enthusiasm.

"There's my boy!"

Being careful of the ever-present mess on the floor, she stepped into his enormous cage that took up the bulk of the third bedroom and offered her arm as a perch. Then they could bond for a few long moments, her hand on his head and back a gentle caress, that great beak nibbling tenderly at her sleeve. Once in his funny bodysuit/diaper, they joined Jess in the homey kitchen. Barely looking up, Jess offered a whole walnut and a mug of coffee. Lena barely noted the chunks of shell that plopped into her cup. They were harmless enough.

"So I hear you had an adventure yesterday?"

Lena froze where she was avoiding the walnut shrapnel in her mug, green eyes wide. "Where did you hear that?"

The droll look Jess gave her spoke volumes. 

"I hate to tell you that your frantic search for Mister Hugo there did not at all go unnoticed. I suppose it might have been hilarious had you not been really worried."

Hugo just chuckled and batted at Lena's head with his wings. Things had been so stressful, what with a cross-country move and getting used to having Hugo around all the time and Jess taking so long to join her. Even just a few days of having her pal and assistant back was making a huge difference.

"You should have called me."

"I panicked, plain and simple."

Lena reached up to rub at the glossy feathers on Hugo's chest, ignoring the gape of that jagged beak near her ear.

"Thankfully, one of my neighbors found him."

Jess grinned teasingly. "Yes, Chessy next door leered about your gallant rescuer."

Flushing warmly, Lena made a mental note to yell at her erstwhile neighbor, who while helpful about Hugo, was a gossip and a flirt. Jess just chuckled and grabbed her mug to dump out the debris and pour more coffee.

"Yeah, well Chessy can gossip all they want and it won't do any good. I have no idea who the cute neighbor is."

Scandalized, Jess gasped dramatically. "Lena! Hugo baits in a hottie for you and you didn't even get her name? Honestly, you useless bisexual, it's college! Go for broke!"

Days later, the teasing had let up somewhat, but Lena couldn't forget about the brown-eyed beauty. The presence of her poor coat, chewed up by Hugo, didn't help. She kept forgetting to have Jess drop it off at a tailor/drycleaners… or possibly she didn't want to give up the talisman. She was half ready to try fixing it herself, fingering the bite holes in the thin, supple leather.

The gloomy weather had broken and California was once again its sunny self. So naturally, Lena had left Hugo out on the balcony that she had turned into a makeshift cage. Though if he kept that damn racket up, she was going to have to bring him in. God, her neighbors must hate her…

Wait. Someone was whistling back!

Curious, Lena joined her feathered pal and peered through the obstructed view through the wire mesh and bug screen that sealed Hugo away from the outside world. Her balcony overlooked a quiet and boring little lawn of grass that was the hub of the back of several buildings with a variety of decks and balconies overlooking it. Her's was the tallest at three stories, and offered nice views of the quiet neighborhood and the nearby campus. 

Hugo accepted a little pet, but was clearly distracted by whoever was flirting with him, his calls echoing back with another voice. Lena couldn't figure out where it was coming from until a delighted laugh finally focused her.

"Y'know, for a guy pissed off over my ambush enough to chew holes in my clothes, he's pretty flirty!"

It was her.

Lena remembered that voice in the midst of her crippling stress and terror, the kind smile that came with it.

"Oh, um, yes. He seems to like you!"

"Good, I like him too!"

There was a flash of movement on the second floor balcony closest to the street, at the far end of the grassy area. A moment later, reddish-brown hair caught the sunlight as the charismatic stranger leaned over her railing. 

"Would it be untoward of me to bring him some flowers?"

It was utterly unbecoming for Lena to be jealous of her pet, but there was the truth of it.

"No, I think that would be lovely."

"Excellent! Will you be around in a couple of hours?"

Lena thought about her evening plans with a few acquaintances and made an easy decision.

"Yes."

"Good, I'll see you then."

Almost three hours later, Lena was a nervous wreck. She'd have felt less nervous on a blind date. With someone important.

Finally though, there was a brisk knock and she had to steel herself, smooth a hand over her hair, and answer the damn door.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the hot neighbor, but a slightly drunk Sam, clearly devastated over her latest douchebag boyfriend. Thankfully, she was sans Ruby, because while the rugrat was a great kid, Lena fretted over tiny kidling fingers and cockatoo beaks. 

She'd barely made a dent in getting Sam calmed down when a second knock sent Hugo to whistling in his room. This time, it was indeed Hot Neighbor and Lena mourned her rumpled appearance.

"You have the face of someone caught up in an emergency," she said kindly and Lena drank up that smile.

"It's true. I'm really sorry, but my friend is having love life dramas. Can we take a raincheck?"

"Of course. Oh, but here." From her satchel came a big plastic bag, a handful of dandelions tucked carefully into a damp paper towel. "Courtesy of my folk's hippie, pesticide-free neighbor."

Lena was touched, taking the baggie and smiling widely. "Thank you, this is really thoughtful."

"You're welcome. Hugo seemed to really be enjoying them. Oh, and for you."

From her shirt pocket came another of the cheerful yellow blooms, stem wrapped in a bit of wet cotton and plastic wrap. It was silly, childish, pedestrian… and one of the sweetest things anyone had ever done for Lena. She was pretty sure her smile was downright idiotic. "Thank you."

"I'll holler when I see you next. G'nite."

"Good night," Lena called softly as her mystery crush jauntily bounced down the steps.

When Sam figured out the happy little flower and the grin that kept tugging at Lena's mouth despite the situation, she felt awful.

"Oh god, Lena, I'm so sorry! I screwed up your it-could-have-been-a-date!"

"Sam, it's okay. I'll make plans with her again. You need me right now. Eat your ice cream and let's finish the movie."

It was two more days before Lena saw her neighbor again. She was bringing Hugo out to the balcony again and his crest popped up before he whipped his wings open and whistled in greeting. Sure enough, the call was mimicked back, sending him into a flurry of happy sounds.

"He loved the flowers," Lena called out, despite not seeing her mystery companion, and a moment later, she appeared at her railing once more.

"Good! There's a whole summer of them coming up. You just tell me how many he can have."

"The hippie neighbor will be happy to have them gone, I'm guessing?"

The brown-eyed beauty had a wonderful laugh. "He definitely will."

"So, are you busy later today?" It wasn't like Lena to be bold like this, but it felt right, and dammit, she really did want to know her neighbor better! Even through the semi-concealing screen, she could see the smile from across the way.

"Is this your way of asking for dandelions?"

Oh, why did she blush so easily at this stranger?

"Yes, that would be lovely too. I should be back from class by six."

"Sounds like a plan. Oh, and what's your name? I forgot to ask."

"Lena. I forgot to ask too. Yours?"

"It's Alex."

"Good. I look forward to seeing you, Alex."

The name felt good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shatterpath: pet owner Lena as a college student I can totally get with. a cockatoo or something like it, living on campus is impossible. hateful, noisy bastards. see, I can see most of that list serving this idea. So, they get Hugo back and it turns into a series of visits. Alex caught the jerk in the pouring rain by tossing her jacket over him. The idiot had been eating dandelions. so she brings him some. saving one for the cute neighbor. during the chase, Lena breaks her nice glasses and is stuck with her black-framed ugly old pair that Alex thinks make her look adorable. still picking bits of feathers out of her jacket, and stitching up bite holes  
> maybe it's just a grassy area they can call across. The annoyed/amused neighbors will start taking bets on how long it will take for them to get together.  
> theillogicalthinker: YES THAT TYPE OF NEIGHBOURS. SOMEONE HAS TO SEE THE OTHER CHANGING
> 
> Shatterpath: I watched a couple vids of the black palms and they're not as loud as some cockys, but maaaaaaaaaaaaan, that sharp whistle could carry a MILE  
> theillogicalthinker: Hahahahahahaha
> 
> Shatterpath: Puzzled, Alex blinks, jumps when fucking Hugo flips over upsidedown from the roof above her, wings out, whistling and carrying on. Lena can't help herself, squealing with laughter.  
> theillogicalthinker: She takes video  
> Shatterpath: Alex's puzzled expression and the way she jumps and whips her head upward causes great hilarity in the Danvers clan much later
> 
> http://shatterpath.tumblr.com/post/167664734963/tinysaurus-rex-psychodactyl-this-is-the-most  
> This is absolutely the sort of thing Alex does with Hugo. Probably sings along too.


	3. A touching escape

She didn't make it home by six, or even seven. It was nearing nine pm by the time she tore herself away from a lab gone terribly wrong. If she didn't get out of this particular work group, she was going to drop out of engineering completely and take up something like flower arranging. Exhausted from the droning sexism and over an hour of cleaning up several pieces of shattered equipment her idiot classmates had broken, Lena needed a stiff drink before tackling the several hours of homework still waiting for her.

Then she saw the baggie of dandelions resting against her door and was torn between a surge of absolute delight and wanting to cry from the injustice of it all. Because of course Alex had shown up, probably waited for some time before giving up and mostly likely never wanted to see her again.

Hugo was beside himself at her return, carrying on until she stepped into his cage to fuss over him and feed him a few flowers. Despite quite literally feeling the minutes chewing into her sleep time, the one-on-one time was better than having him carrying on, or distracting her from her schoolwork.

Once he was settled, she drifted out to pull a cider out of the fridge and then went to the balcony with the half-formed idea that maybe Alex was out and about and she could apologize.

But she never managed words. Because in the dark of night, a slender silhouette in Alex's apartment twisted out of a shirt, her curves compact and delicious. The shadowy shape twisted, clearly struggling with a bra, and Lena felt a visceral kick in the ribs when a taller figure, long haired and broad-shouldered and definitely female, stepped in to help. And was rewarded with an embrace that sure looked like it included a kiss.

It was a bit of a shock how brutally disappointed Lena was. But really, how could someone that nice and good-looking not be taken? Even as the light in that distant window flicked off, she turned away and took her dashed hopes back to her books.

College hadn't waited for her to mourn her father and it certainly wouldn't wait on her dashed hopes.

\----

Still, the dandelions showed up again three days later and Lena sulked and studied away her Friday night, no energy or enthusiasm for anything remotely resembling being social. That meant, of course, that Saturday was unspeakably gorgeous. Oh well, at least Hugo could enjoy the day and flirt with Alex to his heart's content. 

Of course, it also meant that Lena's streak of bad luck took another dip to a new low.

"Okay, big guy, let's--"

Looking up from her phone, Lena stopped short in shocked horror. The wire mesh she had strung so carefully was hanging at a drunken angle at one corner, curled outward as it strove to return to the roll it had been packaged in. 

"Goddamnit, Hugo! I was gone for two fucking minutes!"

Just touching the wire made it sag more as she pressed against the railing, searching frantically for her erstwhile pet. Who was thankfully still within eyeshot… walking across the roof on the other side of the grassy quad.

Okay, so maybe it was immature of her not to call out a warning and instead, activate the video function on her phone. Better to get the footage and ask for forgiveness later.

Starting from her own damaged balcony, Lena slowly swung the camera over. "The fucker somehow got the cage wall free and must have very awkwardly flapped over to the lower roof over there. I'm just glad he made it, the jerk. Check out that sassy strut."

Crest up and bobbing along with his awkward cockatoo waddle, Hugo continued to chat with Alex, who was clearly oblivious of his approach. With the mesh down, Lena could finally see her crush's balcony clearly. Just at the edge of the shade from above, Alex was sprawled out on a chaise lounge with a tome so ponderous Lena could sense the weight of it from a hundred feet away. Several more were stacked beside her along with notebooks and loose papers and a laptop.

Hugo had reached his target, leaning over the edge of the roof, head cocking this way and that to figure out the problem. He shifted back as Alex looked around before going back to her book. Now in position, Hugo daringly swung over the edge of the roof, secure with his dexterous feet. Alex jumped in shock as he whipped open wings and crest, warbling and whistling in greeting.

Lena couldn't stop her laughter at the spectacle.

"That's hello, by the way," she called out once she tamped down her mirth. "Meet Hugo, my parkour expert, escape artist roommate."

Twisting and reaching with that great beak, Hugo found his target of a hanging plant and easily inverted himself and shuffled down the chain to get closer to where Alex had jumped to her feet.

"He likes you. Offer your forearm and he might step up."

"Really?" Alex sounded eager and moved half into the sunlight to do as she was told. In snug shorts and an even snugger tank top, she was an enticing sight. Not only did Hugo easily step onto Alex's forearm, but willingly leaned into her, startling both women. 

"Jeez, he really does like you," Lena marveled, trying to ignore that she was a little jealous of the snuggle. "Just pet him like a cat and pay attention if he opens his mouth or leans away. That's a friendly 'no'. I'll come get him."

"No rush."

Grabbing a clean flightsuit-diaper thing and the leash that attached to it, Lena headed around the cluster of buildings until she came to the entrance of the one she figure was Alex's. Sure enough the woman was already in the claustrophobic entryway to open the secured door for her. Hugo drowned out any attempt at conversation, excited and fluffed up over his adventure.

With a little embarrassing baby talk, Lena calmed him enough to get the suit on and the leash velcroed into place.

"There, you loveable jerk, now you can't get away for the moment. Thank you for being patient with him. He's going to give me a complex before the year is out, I swear."

"My pleasure. I'm happy to finally get to meet him properly. And you."

Ugh! She was so nice! struggling to wrestle down her completely inappropriate crush, Lena grasped at something intelligent to say. "Would you like to join us for lunch? I have your jacket, and I forgot to grab it and it's all fixed up and I really should return it and Hugo doesn't like just anyone, so your company is welcome. And…"

Oh, that smile was going to get her into so much trouble, Lena just knew it.

"I should have told you to grab your books so that I could invite you for lunch and a study session."

Oh, so, so much trouble.

"I'd… um, love to, but your place is far from Hugo-proofed. Really, so is mine, but I've done my best, even if he somehow keeps escaping. It's been so busy and he's a lot of work, but he's worth it and…"

"Lena, breathe. He's okay, you're okay. Tell you what. Shall we go for third time is the charm? And I can join you two?"

Lena wanted to refuse, her place was a disarrayed mess, but she knew to take an opportunity when she had it.

"That would be great."

A quick trip upstairs let Lena take a look around at Alex's place. It was bigger than she would have thought, caught between light industrial and post modern and sprinkled with mess.

"My younger sister and I share this place. I'd almost be shocked you haven't seen her around too, if I didn't know the punishing workload she has lately."

Sister. A flare of hope reignited again, much to Lena's thrill and displeasure.

With career-student-like efficiency, Alex appeared with a fat backpack and an equally laden canvass bag.

Out in the sunshine, Hugo flapped his wings and carried on where he perched on Lena's arm, causing quite a stir in the handful of people about. He was a striking animal and not one most people would see in a lifetime.

"God, Hugh, everyone in a five mile radius is going to want to kill us both. Will you please chill?"

Strutting up and down her forearm and talking to himself, Hugo did settle somewhat, to Lena's relief. Alex's winning smile destroyed most of her remaining calm, though certainly for good reasons.

"So why are you living so far from campus?"

That smile edged towards delighted and Lena honestly felt her knees go weak.

"For some peace and quiet."

Right on cue, Hugo whistled out a clean, piercing note, making Alex chuckle lowly.

"Turns out it's overrated."

At the old building Lena lived in, Alex took the stairs with an effortless ease that said that flat, wiry musculature wasn't just for show.

Lena barely managed to not trip and squash her feathered pal.

"Feel free to look around, just, if a door is closed, keep it that way. His highness here could get into dangerous things."

"Closed doors, got it. Wow, this must be at least half the entire top floor."

"Basically. I share it with the eccentric genius violinist next door. They insist Hugo is good for their concentration. And Hugo is learning to sing along, so I certainly have no complaints."

With Hugo strutting about and showing of on one of his play perches and being fed a snack by his new admirer, Lena put together a simple lunch and they all moved to the living room to sprawl out with their books. Since he was wearing his little suit, Lena clipped Hugo's jesses and leash to his legs and let him wander about and get attention. She used it as an excuse to lay on her belly facing Alex, who had pulled out one of her crushingly huge books and was calmly letting Hugo climb all over her and mouth playfully at her hair.

Lena could only marvel at the sweet spectacle.

"What?" Alex asked with a little smile and Lena fought off blushing.

"It's just… he really likes you. He was a one-man bird his whole life and it's so good to see…"

Traitorous tears welled up, her throat so tight she could barely breathe.

"Sorry," she finally managed to whisper around the ache and scrubbed roughly at her eyes. "Lost my dad recently and it's still raw. Hugo was his, they'd been together since my dad was a little kid and I was the only other person he really liked, so I took him in. My mom and brother never really got it, and they're super busy with the family company anyway, especially now."

Alex never said a word, simply reached out and gave her forearm a long, firm squeeze. It was anchor enough, that gesture from a kind stranger, and they returned to their books.

Lena never even noticed when the pull of exhaustion dragged her under.


	4. Lost To You

Fuzzy consciousness returned with Hugo's little zygodactyl feet walking across her shoulders. He was so light for such a large bird that the sensation was always a little odd. Chuckling and cooing, he nuzzled her scalp, even when she woozily raised her head.

"What're you doin' out?"

"When was the last time you got a decent night sleep, honey?"

Alex's voice so startled Lena that she half rolled over, sending Hugo sprawling. Somehow, the other woman had gotten a throw pillow tucked under her head to save her open textbook from being drooled on. Her favorite fuzzy throw from the couch was tossed over her as well. The couch that Alex has set up shop on, curled up like a big cat with a text book that put the ones before it to shame.

Hugo climbed back up and squawked his displeasure until Lena rubbed his soft breast feathers soothingly.

"You stayed."

Grinning, Alex pulled her glasses off to gesture at the disheveled pair of them. "Lena, you've only been napping for a couple hours. You're no trouble. Either of you. His highness there got a little fussy about an hour ago and I looked online and saw that large shelled nuts are good for palm cockatoos, which he clearly is. So I hope I didn't overstep raiding your cupboards to give him a couple from your stash."

"God, are you real?"

There was some embarrassment in Alex's little laugh at the soft disbelief in Lena's voice.

Stiffly getting to her feet-- a hardwood floor was a lousy place for a nap-- Lena unclipped the cuffs from Hugo's legs and put him in the cage she kept in the living room for daytime use. Using the restroom knocked out some of the stiffness and lingering drowse so that she could face her companion again.

"While part of me is horrified to lose the study time, thank you for the nap. I can't remember the last time I could do that."

Hugo's ongoing symphony of noises was explanation enough.

"Oh I get that. My course load hasn't let up in so many years I wouldn't know what to do with myself."

"Exactly."

Settling in once more, Lena sitting up this time, they went back to their studies. Though after awhile, Alex's muttering over her work became distracting. Lena easily ignored it until there was an aggravated, "uuuuugh, Mom," from the couch. The little huff of amusement broke her concentration, her expression wry at Lena's clear delight. "I'm doing it again, aren't I? it's a horrible habit that I've been trying to break since, well, forever?"

"It's cute."

"Tell my sister that. She mocks me that it's 'unbecoming for a Danvers', but she gets so distracted she's lucky to remember to put on pants."

The warm adoration in her tone belied any censure and made Lena fiercely miss her own family. She knew Mom and Lex were swamped with the chaos that Dad's death had thrown the business empire into, but she missed them.

"Wait. Danvers. Why does that ring a bell?"

There was a wealth of soft amusement and a touch of exasperation in Alex's expression and her reply, as though she were far too familiar with Lena's reaction. "My mother heads up the biology department. I work the lab some days, and give her a hand with her research, when I'm not at the hospital."

"The hot bio prof is your mother?" 

Alex blinked in surprise before her gales of laughter filled the apartment. Lena just draped her book over her head and wished the floor would open up and swallow her.

"You do know she is married to my dad right? The dean of science?"

Shocked enough to forget her mortification, Lena dropped her book back into her hands and gaped. "Get the fuck out."

Alex just laughed more.

"So, what kind of student are you, anyway?"

"Not of your school. Not anymore. I'm in post-grad across town. Hence, hospital."

"Oh my god, you're a doctor."

"Working on it."

"Wow. Well, that explains the bag of bricks you're hauling around."

"Right?"

Another easy period of quiet was disrupted by Lena abruptly blurting out, "Danvers... wait. Is your sister in engineering? Tallish? Blonde? Constantly smiling?"

"Yep, that's her."

Rubbing both hands over her face in lieu of smacking herself in the forehead, Lena groaned, "she was my lab partner last year, I think it was. I'm an idiot."

Alex's amusement was warm. "Kara's a physics major with enough engineering and fine art to confuse even me. And I'm her sister!"

"Kara, that was it. I wish I'd kept in touch with her, she was really nice. And terrifyingly smart. I see it runs in the family."

"She was in Scotland for a year at a fancy art school, or she probably would have tracked you down. She loves people like a golden retriever loves people. We'll have you over for dinner soon."

"That sounds wonderful."

For all her crush was like a dong stuck on repeat in her brain, Lena was ecstatically happy to just have someone to hang out with. Particularly someone that Hugo really liked. After a nice dinner, Alex had to go, but promised to call later in the week to make plans.

"If this wasn't a hell week at the hospital, I would absolutely come back, but it'll be chaos to the weekend. Save Sunday late morning for brunch unless you hear otherwise, okay?"

"I look forward to it, Alex. Good night!"

"Night, Lena!" she called back over her shoulder as she hauled off her load of medical minutiae, never seeing the hearteyes left in her wake.

Of course, things never seemed to go easily for Lena.

It was as though the building crescendo of warmth and sunlight towards summer had supercharged Hugo. By Wednesday, she was ready to scream from frustration and plain exhaustion. No amount of attention or snacks would calm the big cockatoo. She had a major paper due by Monday, hadn't finalized her course load for next semester, still hadn't gotten her glasses replaced and her disposable contacts were long gone, and on top of all that? She was having reoccurring nightmares about fire and her father's mournful, chiding voice.

Still, she somehow made it through the week, despite so little sleep she looked like a hollowed-out wraith. Nothing was sticking to her brain matter anymore, Jess and Sam had been busy lately and she wasn't going to pressure them into helping, and what could they really do anyway? Hugo was her responsibility.

Something had to give.

She felt like a walking nightmare, brain put through a blender, every muscle and joint aching. Couldn't call Mom or Lex, they'd made it quite clear at the funeral that she needed to finish school, get the fancy letters behind her name that Dad had wanted so badly for his genius kids. It was the last gift she could give him, and she would be damned if she didn't do it.

Alex's pretty face and those expressive brown eyes ran through her muddy brain a lot. And the warm, clean, musky scent of her. Oh, how Lena wanted to know what that smile tasted like, touch that lanky, wiry body, fist up her hands in that soft-looking hair…

Roll around in this big soft bed, kissing and touching and…

Wait. 

This wasn't her bed.

"Is she alive?" asked a lowered voice she dimly recognized, followed up by Alex's whisper.

"Still breathing. Don't need to be a doctor to see that. Though she's been passed out for nearly twelve hours. Wait, I sense life. Hey, neighbor, how you doing?"

The horror movie monster growl of her achingly empty stomach finally finished waking Lena, blinking and utterly disoriented. Dragging open her eyes, she watched Alex and Kara swim into focus, both of them smiling fit to burst.

"Where'm I?"

Reaching out, Alex peeled back an eyelid to squint in a semi-expert manner at whatever it was that she saw there. "You look much better now. We came home to find you passed out against our door, clutching your keys like a lifeline, but I managed to coax them away. You kept muttering, 'fucking Hugo'--"

That got an instant reaction, panic flooding through Lena as she rolled over and sat up fast enough to nearly tumble herself right out of the bed. Had the sisters not grabbed her, she probably would have.

"Whoa, slow down. He's fed and watered and had a little attention. Your fridge is remarkably well-organized, thank you for that. Hey, Kara, can you go put on some coffee? I'll get sleeping beauty here."

"Sure."

"As for you, Miss Luthor, on your feet, nice and easy. If your stomach is that urgent, your bladder must be a four alarm fire."

As much as Lena would have loved to remain sagged half boneless into her crush, now that she was awake, yes, her stupid bladder was urgent. She managed to toddle off and take care of that, startling at her own reflection. She really did look awful. And must smell like something from the forensic labs.

But the smell of coffee drove any self-consciousness out of her mind.

From that point on, Lena found herself inexorably pulled into the sister's orbit. Kara was just as lovely and warm and fun as she remembered, more so outside of the confines of school. Disappointingly, Hugo didn't like her, making Kara sigh and Alex laugh uproariously.

"It's so weird. Small animals just don't like me! I'm not gonna eat them or something silly!"

He stood on Alex and glared disapprovingly between flirting and grooming his new favorite person. Lena didn't mind, the breathing room was a welcome break. She loved the beast, she really did, but the level of work he took to remain happy and healthy was depleting her.

It took another week for Lena to notice that she hadn't been alone for a single evening since she'd passed out against the Danvers sister's door. They'd made friends with Jess three days ago, and Sam and Ruby had only just left after a nice meal with the whole gang of them. Ruby's crush on the almost-Doctor Alex might be as bad as her own. And Ruby was lucky enough to be able to sit in her lap…

Having sniffed out her little stash of fine wines, Kara randomly opened one and distributed out glasses. The sisters were a constant stream of chatter; a cocktail of adoration and sass.

"But Aaaaaaaalex, numbers!"

The little sister wail set Hugo to screeching in response and he seemed to enjoy their amusement, settling once more on his perch beside Lena.

"Dead bodies, Kara," Alex teased back and Kara made a face.

"Ewww. You're gonna end up a forensic pathologist at this rate."

"Gross anatomy is not for the fainthearted!"

"Live humans are so annoying."

"Yep, terrible bed side manner."

Relaxed and fed and with a good red warming her belly, Lena remained curled up where she was, but her smile was adoring. "Thank you both, for taking such good care of us."

As though he knew he was being talked about, Hugo managed to stretch out and nibble gently at her hair. Alex gave her ankle a squeeze and Lena relished the casual affection.

"Our pleasure, but hey, you need to take care of yourself too."

Lena didn't know quite how to respond to Alex's concern.

"Yeah, isn't there anyone who could take him for awhile or something?"

It was the wrong thing to say and Kara's expression went horrified as soon as the words left her mouth.

"I-- I don't mean…"

The Luthors were old money and far more prone to minions than friends. Lena had no real frame of reference for these two and the seemingly uncaring comment hit far too close to that aching place in her left behind with the death of her father. Her voice was icy as her whole face and body language closed off.

"Hugo and my degree are all I have left of my father. Look, it's getting late and I should probably turn in."

They hadn't wanted to go, but sensed that pushing would not go well. Still, Alex paused at the door and placed a warm hand on Lena's arm. "If you need anything," she said quietly and her eyes were soft.

It took real effort to let them go. And for the first time in weeks, Lena cried herself to sleep, feeling so very, very alone.


	5. Connection and Reconnection

It took until Tuesday for the whole picture to sink in. For three days she'd wallowed, numbly attending to Hugo and school and minimal upkeep. But by the end of her economics class, she realized that she had barely retained a word of it. For several weeks now. A serious discussion with the professor had her one class down, but she would be allowed to take the course again, with stipulations. This far into the semester, she felt that was entirely fair.

Then she went home and left a voice message to her mother, just to communicate, not hiding the way her voice trembled with tears. The lights were off at the Danvers apartment and that final piece of the puzzle would have to wait. Still, she slept better that night.

With even a few small things off of her plate, Lena felt a bit better the next day, actually able to feel like she was engaging her brain and not just going through the motions. The sight of dandelions in the grass made her pause on the way home and take a wild chance.

Miraculously, Alex answered the door, her expression soft, but neutral.

"I'm sorry," Lena blurted out, just wanting that warm regard again, the one that made her feel so welcome. "I shouldn't have sent you and Kara off while I was mad and confused."

"Oh Lena," Alex said so softly, the fond exasperation in her tone so, so welcome. "We're not angry with you. We're worried. We like you, me and Kara both."

Lena had to look away from the intensity of that dark gaze, startled when Alex's hands settled over her own where they fiddled anxiously.

"You brought me a dandelion."

"I did."

The full-bodied hug felt like safe harbor after a storm that almost drowned her. Dropping her bags, Lena clung with all her strength, sobbing and hiccupping until she was exhausted with it. Wobbly-kneed, she could barely obey Alex's herding her back to her own place to tend to her feathered roomie before stretching out on the couch. The brush of Alex's hand over her cheek and temple was heavenly.

"Thank you. For coming to me. That took real strength."

Lena wasn't sure she dreamed the whispered words.

A heavy power nap had her waking to Kara sitting with her back against the couch, blonde head bent over a sketchbook. She jumped when Lena touched her shoulder, eyes wide, but relaxed at the sleepy, shy smile.

"Thank you for watching over me. You and your sister are the best."

Kara pulled her right into her lap to be hugged until it felt like ribs and spine both were going to break, but it was so worth it.

"You're not mad at me?"

"God no, Kara. In fact, I dropped Econ today because as much as it pains me to set myself back a bit, I think I hit burnout like two weeks ago."

"Wait. But we're out of the drop period."

"I know. I had to make a deal with the prof that I can't take the class again until next year and have to do the whole thing from scratch. Which I think is fair, and I've retained shit in weeks anyway."

"Damn. Alex was right, you really are a badass in your own right. There's plenty of people who would not have had the courage to make such a drastic change."

Lena was pleased and her easier body language made Hugo sing.

It didn't take much persuading to get Lena to grab her pajamas and books to head back to the Danvers' place. Once she and Kara had entertained Hugo and gotten him settled in his big cage for the night. They watched a movie and ordered pizza and even made ice cream shakes spiked with some creamy alcohol that calmed the knot of anxiety in Lena's belly.

There was only one thing that would get rid of it completely and she was about ready to give up hope to ever be more than another little sister to Alex.

"She won't be home tonight. Rounds at the hospital."

There was no way Kara could miss that stab of disappointment, Lena's gaze skittering away. 

"Oh. Okay. Um, I'll need to get home by about six to get Hugo fed and give him some attention so that he doesn't wake the whole building."

"You got it. You should come over Friday and we'll do this again. We can do a fancy brunch!"

"That sounds like fun."

The rest of the week was as though nothing had happened in their group friendship and Lena basked and ached in it. Part of her wanted to flake out, stay in her place and see if she could calm her heart into letting go without shattering. She even fooled herself into thinking she had talked some sense into herself… until Alex yanked open the door at her knock, and smiled that warm smile.

Oh, she had it so bad…

"You look better rested now, come inside."

Lena was both sad and grateful for her armload that kept Alex's greeting to a side-hug.

"Kara's on a food run to get us stocked up for the night. Beer or wine?"

"Oh, do you still have that vanilla-y stuff that was so good in Coke?"

"Done!"

Even as Alex set out the requested drink, Kara arrived with a heavy satchel bag and a wheeled cooler in tow. "The supplies are here! Let's get this little party started!"

Lena boggled over the sheer quantity of mostly-hot food that came from the insulated box and the various odds and ends from the bag. Plates came out and they browsed amid the containers that covered the kitchen island.

"You two eat more extra than I do. And I'm the youngest in a billionaire family. How do you do it?"

"Alex has a bunch of patents," Kara bragged uncaringly. "And I sell a commission here and there."

Lena blinked. "Patents?"

Alex was embarrassed and stabbed Kara in the shoulder with her chopsticks. "Biotech. I ahd some grad school projects that panned out and my mother was adamant that I get them patented. She was right and now I'm already seeing some nice residuals."

Kara snorted rudely and almost choked on her pad thai. "'Nice residuals' she says. The check last month from LordTech alone was nearly ten grand, and I still say he's shorting you somehow!"

The sideways look Alex shot Lena seemed vulnerable somehow and she dredged up a smile past her shock and ever-deepening infatuation. "I'll have to introduce you to my brother."

That led to the three of them cackling over family. Kara was in top form in Sass and Alex glowered affectionately at her. 

"You're the anomaly, Alex, being so small. If you didn't look like Dad's side and Mom didn't for sure push you out-- though admittedly she does complain more about my birth, I'll give you that-- I'd say you were adopted."

Alex gasped melodramatically and swatted at Kara's shoulder. "Take that back Kara. I will end you!"

"You can't reach me!"

"You know I get it from grandma!"

Considering there was only a couple of inches between them, Lena was completely amused. Alex sniffed haughtily and the sisters stuck their tongues out at one another. 

"When I'm performing an exam, people are flat on their back at my desired height so it doesn't matter."

"Do the tables lower that much?"

"Kara!"

Pleased with herself, Kara scampered off to the music of Lena's giggling laugh.

"What about you?"

Grinning at Alex's curiosity, Lena thought of her family. "Please, your couple of inches is nothing. I come from a herd of giraffes. My father and brother, both six two, and my mother a full six foot. One of Dad's favorite stories to make Mom glare at him was when I was born, Mom held me and supposedly said, 'why is she so fucking small?'"

The memories were sweet but still stabbed painfully, making Lena's eyes tear up.

"I miss them."

She wallowed in Alex's strong hug.

After hanging out, eating til she was fit to burst, and getting a couple drinks in her, Lena didn't last long. But Alex grabbed a pillow and tugged her to lie down in her lap to get her hair petted and played with, so Lena had no complaints.

She was barely aware of being half carried and half dragged to Alex's lush bed where she was tucked in gently, warm lips pressed to her temple. Already drifting away, she was sure she was dreaming their semi-whispered voices.

"Really? Alex, you are a known gay with a cute girl in your home. In your bed. Who looks at you like you hung the moon and stars, you idiot. Do the math!"

"Pfft, whatever Kar. She just needs a friend and someone Hugo doesn't want to murder. The super won't even go into that unit anymore."

The aggrieved noise was so doglike that when she woke later, Lena half expected there to be a canine of some sort curled warmly along her. Instead she had apparently gravitated once more to Alex's warmth. The older woman was still leaned up against the headboard, book in her lap, glasses faintly askew.

Oh how Lena wanted to be more to her.

Sad again, she slipped out of the bed and crept off to the living room, and then the balcony when the warm night beyond beckoned. She stared over the grassy quad to her own balcony where a far sturdier fence blocked off escape from the restless Hugo. It felt like every part of her had become intertwined with this extraordinary young woman. Kara too, but there was none of the suffocating subtext that left her such a mess.

"What do I do?" she murmured to herself, sitting on the chaise to hold her head in her hands.

"Beautiful night."

Alex's voice was so unexpected that Lena nearly jumped clean out of her skin. She was a shadowy shape in the doorway, pausing there while Lena's heart raced for more than one reason.

"S--sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." Jumping up, Lena began to look around as though her things were outside on the balcony. "I should grab my stuff and head home."

"Lena…"

The sensitive doctor's hand on her arm froze Lena as effectively as shackles. Her heart was in her throat, throbbed in her ears, felt like it was trying to squeeze her brain out of her eyes.

"You don't have to go."

It wasn't what she wanted to hear and her heart sank away again, back to that sad, lonely place that was all too familiar now. Caressing that hand, Lena dawdled for a moment before she raised her head and smiled a smile so sad that Alex blinked in the darkness.

"Yes, I really do."

She got shaking fingers into her clothes and purse before Alex really reacted, her voice helpless in the dim of the apartment.

"Lena, please…"

Giving up almost felt good, familiar somehow, to shelve the hope and want and need away with a shudder. Or at least to keep trying…

"I can't lose you, but I can't keep you either."

"Wait, what?"

Confused, Alex reacted instinctually, striding over to crowd Lena up against the door.

"Don't go," she whispered harshly, their lips close enough to share breath. "Please."

"I have to. I'm losing my mind over you."

Lena could almost hear the blink, Alex's whole body language changing.

"Lena? Don't you know that I like you too? That I've been dying to be more than just your friend? God, I really am an idiot, Kara's right. I didn't think… didn't think… do you want me?"

That ache of wanting, of not knowing, of the loneliness Lena knew too well, it called to her, hope flaring to life in her soul.

"Yes, god yes. I've--"

The kiss was hesitant, a little too rough, a desperate connection that instantly had Lena dropping her bags and wrapping her arms around Alex's shoulders. The offer made and accepted, they gentled, explored, bodies easing into one another just as they had wanted to do for so long.

The wait had been worth it.


	6. Good Changes

Exhausted, but exhilarated, and more than a little off-kilter, Lena hadn't fought very hard to be coaxed back to the ridiculously comfy bed.

"Just to sleep," Alex whispered, brushing kisses over her cheekbones, the gentleness calming both their rattled emotions. There, beside the bed, Lena had a startled moment in remembering that she could hug the way she wanted now, cuddling her whole body in, nuzzling Alex's neck to get the taste of her.

The breathy noise she made was a wonderful bonus. 

Oh, how Lena wanted to cling to this experience, to talk and touch it out, but she was so exhausted. The instant her body settled to the bed and Alex changed the casual sleeping arrangements to a blissful front to front, full body cuddle, sleep crept around the edges of her mind.

"We'll talk tomorrow," Alex murmured against her hairline and Lena was too sleepy to resist curling her fingers into that reddish hair.

It was every bit as soft as she'd fantasized about.

Whatever the bed was, Lena needed to get herself one. She slept better on this plush thing than she ever had. The company didn't hurt any either. She'd woken in the night needing to use the restroom only to find that Alex was a bed-python and squirming away was no easy task. Oh, she certainly hadn't wanted to leave! Not even sure the older student was still awake, Lena was grateful her awkward dithering at the side of the bed was stopped by a sleepy hand pulling her back into the python's clutches. 

The second waking was an uncomfortable jolt when Lena raised her head up to look muzzily about.

"A'ex?"

No one answered her sleepy mumble and she wearily sat up. Had she dreamed it all? That was an ugly jolt to her heart. No, she had to believe in herself and the chance she'd been given with the extraordinary woman she'd been drawn to from the start. 

Emboldened, Lena tugged her wrinkled jammies into place and headed for the central living space of the sprawling apartment… only to be brought up short in shock.

There were strangers there. Who weren't really strangers at all.

Jeremiah looked from his eldest, frozen and owl-eyed, to an equally unnerved dark-haired girl who was clearly the pretty Lena both daughters had been mooning on about. Knowing what hopeless idiots they could be around pretty girls-- god knows they'd gotten that from him-- Jeremiah simply said dryly, "about time."

That snapped Alex into action before Eliza could say anything, jumping up and grabbing her half-full mug. "Give us a few."

Bossily, Alex crowded Lena back into her room with the expertise of a linebacker, holding up a single finger.

"Before you say a word, liquid sanity." Handing over the mug, she smiled a little tremulously. "I understand the need."

It was a good salve, the familiar hot bitterness, laced with cream but no sugar, and it warmed Lena, giving her a moment to process. Emboldened, she reached up to once again tuck her fingers into Alex's messy bob-- and, oh she was not going to get sick of that sensation anytime soon-- and pulled her into a kiss. And she wasn't going to hold back this time, either. After testing to see if she were welcome and relishing Alex's eager response, Lena tilted her head to more intimately slot their shapes together. She wasn't sure if she didn't growl while tracing the soft curve of lip with her tongue. 

The whining note of pleasure and the way Alex leaned after her was the most glorious of encouragements. She traced that lovely lower lip and grinned wildly at the passing kiss over the sensitive finger pad.

"Can I take you out? Make this official?" Lena faltered suddenly, that hell-pit of insecurity everyone has yawning open. "We are official?"

Alex's kiss was hard, hot, teeth clashing, fingers tangling in Lena's hair. "Yes," she breathed softly into her mouth. "To all of it. Yes."

Kisses wound down to a standing hug as they relaxed into one another. When Alex did speak up, she was quiet and warm.

"So, I took Kara with me to tend to his highness earlier."

"Is that why you weren't in bed? I missed you."

A kiss by Alex's ear produced an undignified and altogether sexy noise. Lena grinned and relished the telltale flush.

"Yeah, well, I didn't want to go, but Kara was insistent and we knew the folks would be over. You sleep like the dead, pretty lady."

The sweet smile the tease earned her wasn't the reaction Alex has been expecting.

"No, I really don't," Lena told her, rubbing her fingers into the base of Alex's neck. "That is strictly a phenomenon around you."

Oh, how addictive her delight was. "Really? I like that."

"Me too. Did the feathered overlord behave himself?"

"Actually, yes. He fluffed up and screamed about it, but let Kara feed him. She was delighted and you now have a second set of helping hands. She was so delighted, in fact, that she took out all her extra energy into sweeping out his cage."

"Oh, that was nice of her. I need to do a complete cleaning today and that saves me a step."

"We were wondering about that and will be assisting in the task. To learn it."

"Seriously, are you real? Either of you, really."

"We come from a long line of slavishly loyal overachievers."

"Lucky me," Lena teased throatily and happily spend some more time testing out their mutual kissing skills and how their bodies fit together. "Mmmm. If your folks weren't right outside that door…"

\----

In the end, Lena did meet Eliza and Jeremiah. Not only did she survive the experience, but found she really liked them both. Like anyone with a job, who they were professionally and who they were with their family were two very different facets. 

When two weeks later, Lillian Luthor showed up at Lena's door to meet a bird-sitting Kara, she too was brought to brunch. Lena almost choked in shock, not just from her mother's appearance, but being wrapped up in a hug.

"I'm sorry, Kitten. I never should have left you on your own."

Lillian had never been the touchy-feely sort, even with her immediate family. So part of Lena balked before she sank into the embrace. "You're here."

"I am. A little birdie told me," there was no missing the teasing emphasis on the statement. "That you needed me. It's good to meet you face to face, Jeremiah."

"Likewise, Lillian," he greeted her as he approached to offer a handshake. Lena was pleased to be tucked under her mother's left arm while she returned the greeting.

"You two know each other?"

"We do now. You've made good allies, my dear. Friends even. And I can hardly wait to meet this Alex of yours. Kara certainly made an excellent first impression."

Alex actually blanched hilariously when introduced, but blinked it off and immediately wrapped her doctor persona around herself in order to function. Lillian respected that and was fine keeping things professional for a little bit. Besides, when Lena snuggled up, she was instantly the center of Alex's attention and really, wasn't that the important part?

The girls were clearly deep in the infatuated puppy love phase, but Lillian noted other things about their interacting. They authentically liked each other. It wasn't just the blush of new love, but humor and helpfulness and tackling things both individually and as a team.

In taking a desperately needed few days off for herself, Lillian had time to interact with both her daughter and Danvers without impinging on their very busy schedules. It didn't take more than about thirty-six hours to see why Jeremiah had been concerned enough about Lena to blind call her mother for a bit of help. Lena was functioning right at the razor's edge of 'too much' and that was with significant help. Alex was even busier with residency life, but the young couple made their moments together count.

Kara was underfoot the majority of the time as well, which made for some fascinating dynamics. Lena was as likely to be hanging all over either sister, studying or goofing off or going about tasks. When the dating couple got too friendly, Kara made mock disgusted noises at them and teased relentlessly.

And Lena? Lena looked happier than she ever had with them, reminding Lillian of the tiny child she had once been, toddling about after Lex and getting into everything. That endlessly curious, happy child had almost been broken into the mold everyone had wanted her to fill. But the brilliant, creative core of her had persisted and was blooming now like a rose after winter.

Something Lena said during a relaxed moment in the visit stuck with Lillian, reinforced that she was doing the right thing.

"If I could turn my entire place into an aviary, I'd have far fewer problems. Though the mess would be unmanageable. I really do dream of an aviary large enough to put a table in where I could hang out and he could fly free. We'd both love that."

\----

The best part about dating Alex, Lena quickly found out, was that things didn't really change at all. Except that kisses were involved. A lot. More, when they could find the time. Their wild nights would give Lena hot shivers at the oddest times and make her blush fiercely when Kara gave her that 'really?' look.

Kara was forever torn between mocking them in true little sister fashion and being goopy hearteyes. Valuing her friendship every bit as much as the relationship with Alex, Lena made deliberate choices about both of them. Her dragging Kara to the airport for a quick flight up to San Francisco to spend the day ogling a renown exhibition of 'physics as art' was a particular favorite. That and watching Kara get hopped up on Ghirardelli's chocolate. Alex picked them up late at Burbank airport, the pair of them too exhausted to do more than smash her into a hug and pass out in their seatbelts. She even made them breakfast the next day.

The first big hurtle came with the drudgery of true summer. Alex had signed up with a medical exchange program ages before meeting Lena to spend most of her summer break in the rural south. As she trekked into the airport terminal, away from her family and Lena, those dark, soulful eyes nearly had Lena running after her.

Kara and Lena knuckled down to the reality of being without Alex for awhile, cementing the friendship between them and rarely apart for longer than a night or afternoon here and there. In fact, they were both at Lena's apartment when a frantic pounding on her door in the dead of night scared them both to death.

"Lena! Kara! It's me! Open up!"

Hugo too knew that voice, set up a racket that was going to get them evicted for sure. When Kara did her best to rip the front door off its hinges to get to her wildly grinning sister, Lena was right there with her.

It had felt like love right from the start, a kind stranger turned friend turned lover. Caught up in Alex's arms once again, her scent and sights and sounds clogging Lena's senses, she was ready to call it love.

"You're here," she marveled, tracing over the beloved features and not giving a damn about the tears they all shared.

"I had the option to bail out a few days early and I missed you two so much I thought I was going to die from it and I raced home and checked our place first, dropped my crap and raced over here and god I'm so glad to see you both."

Lena kissed away more words, anchored them both down for a moment so their racing hearts could calm into the dynamic of 'we'. All the while, the larger Kara tried to squeeze them all into one mass.

Only Hugo's frantic screeching peeled Alex away from her two favorite people in the whole universe. He flapped and whistled and had his crest up above fluffed feathers, cheek patches bright red with excitement. It took his humans some time to calm him, reassure him that they were there and his world wasn't going to be turned upside-down again.

None of them wanted to be apart and dragged Lena's mattress into the living room and settling Hugo into his smaller day cage to be close by. Once scrubbed up just enough to not be grossed out at herself, Alex fell into the makeshift bed and gripped Kara and Lena close to her as though they were a lifeline.

And the odd little family slept, comforted in the sharing.


	7. Come Midsummer, A Surprise

"You just have a complex from being short."

"You have two inches on me, Kara! Not a exactly gigantor material here. And you know I take after Gran!"

"Who is also a dinky-butt."

Lena chuckled into her glass as the sisters bickered while making lunch. Sandwiches and soup from a can they could manage. Really, the havoc the pair of them could wreak in a kitchen was comical and faintly mind-bending. 

"I take after my grandmother too," Lena interjected to steer them off course. If they got too playful, lunch would be ruined. "My father's mother. He was a bit short too. Always said that Mom made him look good."

"And your brother clearly took after your mom," Kara interjected and danced away from Alex snapping at towel at her.

While no one had met Lex yet, they'd heard plenty. After her mother had visited, he finally made some time to call his sister and they were doing their best to mend their relationship. It wasn't as though he was deliberately neglecting her, but he had his own family to prioritize and a multi-billion dollar company to run in his father's stead. Some days, Lena really wanted to help. Most days, she was just thankful not to have to deal with it all.

"I'm gonna draw in permanent marker on your whiteboards."

The taunting threat was enough to get Kara as riled up as a bull with a bee in her nose. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me!"

"There's a month's worth of work on there!"

And that was that, the pair of them racing off like maniacs to rampage through the bedrooms down the hall. With an affectionate sigh at the both of them, Lena picked up the fallen lunch debris and set about finishing the job. That was how Eliza found her, putting the finishing touches on the meal.

"I thought the girls were--"

A crash, Kara's yelp and their raucous laughter indicated where her wild children had gotten off too. Lena just grinned as Eliza sighed with affectionate exasperation. "Now, I'm stuck with them whether I like it or not, but how do you tolerate them? Honestly, I have no idea how they became such wild animals."

Kara charged in then, hopped up like a kid on sugar. When she spotted her mother, she lit up with glee.

"Mom! Alex is gonna ruin my work!"

Eliza's reply was so dry it rivaled the desert weather outdoors. "Did you tease your sister about her height again?"

"… Maybe…"

Alex finally joined them, trying to finger-comb her hair into some semblance of order. When her eyes narrowed, Lena jumped in. "Time out, guys. Act fifteen thousand of the Danvers Sisters Show can wait until after lunch."

While Kara 'awwwwed' dramatically, Alex looked guilty and skulked over for an apologetic kiss. "Sorry, we bailed out on food for the billionth time."

"It's okay. I find the both of you sweet and hilarious. Though, seriously, you're lucky you have people who love you around to make sure you don't starve. Or live off pizza."

"And potstickers!" Kara yelled happily around a mouthful of sandwich. Alex ignored her in favor of smiling at her girlfriend with the kind of sweet and hot adoration that turned Lena to jello. 

Right on time, there was a knock at the door that Eliza went to answer, returning with the missing two thirds of the parental units. Through visits and phone calls, Lillian had become friends with both Eliza and Jeremiah. Lena loved it because the affectionate and down-to-earth parents of the two most important people in her world were having a continually evolving effect on her mother. From that was growing a relationship; tentative, a little rocky, but surprisingly warm.

"The mongrels have been showing off again," Eliza mocked dryly and her daughters giggled guiltily. "In your defense, Alex, you were the easier birth, so I have no complaints about your being shorter. The hellish pregnancy, but the easier birth. Aside from being big as a whole neighborhood of houses and being endlessly starving, I hardly would have known I was pregnant."

Laughing, Jeremiah plopped a sloppy kiss on Alex's head. "Not like you, Bug. Turned your mother into a loony and had her sick as the plague for months. But when you wanted out, you wanted out."

"Yes, Daddy," she sassed with adoring sarcasm. "You have teased me my whole life that the doctor barely caught me. How did you put it? I almost had to catch myself and it's not Cervix du Soleil."

The Luthor women cracked up appreciatively and father and daughter bowed dramatically before Alex shoved a set of plates and silverware into Kara's hands and took glasses and a pitcher of juice to the table. 

"Mom complained about you because your damn wide shoulders. Thought you were a linebacker coming out."

"You did save up all your drama for the final act, yes," Eliza agree and Kara cackled, dropping the set of plates to the table to pose like a bodybuilder, flashing the muscles long hours of restless exercise earned her.

"She eats like a linebacker too," Lena teased and Kara stuck her tongue out.

"Oh, I know exactly what you mean, Eliza. My little cub here," Lillian said and impulsively gave Lena a quick hug. She was doing a lot of that lately. "She was so small, I hardly needed the drugs. Not like her brother, dear god. It was like, 'oh, we're done?'" Looking thoughtful and a little humorous, she tapped her lip and added, "actually, I'm fairly certainly what I actually said was, 'why is she so fucking small?'" The group laughed appreciatively at the story and Lillian pet a little caress over Lena's head. "Or so your father liked to tell the story. You're so much like him." Her smile was melancholy but adoring. "I suppose I'll never truly be without him so long as I have you and your brother."

The Danvers kindly ignored their hug and clustered around the table and lunch. 

Bellies sated, Eliza and Jeremiah begged off with some flimsy excuse, leaving a perfectly composed Lillian to face the suspicions of the gaggle of daughters.

"You're up to something," Alex blurted out and Lillian just barely quirked a feline grin.

"Are we?"

Lillian liked the girl, she was feisty, smart, successful and adoring of her youngest. It was all she wanted for Lena and she didn't give a damn about the packaging. Just let some idiot get lathered up about a girlfriend. Lillian would bury them.

Alex never knew quite how far to push with Lillian. The woman was intimidating and things were fragile between her and Lena. But curiosity was an itch she had to scratch and the parentals had been acting weird all summer. Some suspicious part of her would have wondered at an affair had she not been positive her mom was in on it too. Her poker face was not as good as she thought it was and Lillian's grin grew at the riot of expressiveness. Those big, soulful eyes would give her away every time. No wonder Lena was smitten.

Her phone buzzing had Lillian looked away to check it. Let the pretty cockerel preen at 'winning' the staring contest, the strutting was cute and made Lena all moony-eyed. 

"Saved by the bell. Well, come along then. Come see what all the sneaking about has been for."

The girls were left scrambling as Lillian strode imperiously out the door, barely pausing to grab her purse. She basked in the sunshine and enjoyed her little power play. Well, she had to keep the pups on their toes! It was good for their collective smarts and adaptability. All of this glorious sunshine without the punishing humidity was spoiling her. Maybe there was something to early retirement after all. 

With the four of them piled into Lillian's very plush rental coupe, they were off among the streets of the quiet, older neighborhoods of Los Angeles that fringed out around the school. Great aged trees stood sentinel over root-cracked streets no repair could ever stay ahead of and funky homes from dinky to opulent. Modern architecture scattered amidst the vintage looked out of place, some of it trying to blend in and some of it downright outlandish.

When they hummed past the grand old golf course, Kara piped up from the passenger seat. "Oh, hey, we're near Gary and Dave's project house."

"Mmm-hmm," Lillian hummed with studied neutrality. "Jeremiah asked me to drop something off for him. Gary's sold the property and there has been plenty of paperwork."

That eared a sharp look from Kara that was doubtlessly being echoed in the older sister behind her.

"He sold it?"

"A retirement project without the partner who had been such a part of it never means as much as it once did."

The very real pain in her tone stifled down any more questions.

Skirting around the enormous property of the golf course, they traveled to the end of a quietly opulent street that would have fit right in to the 30s and 40s heyday of nearby Hollywood. There lay a large white house crowded in by lush old greenery mostly left to its own devices. It had trappings of classic Colonial Spanish architecture in the red tile roof, wrought iron rails and blue-painted trim on the windows. Yet it's hard, blocky edges a looked… off somehow, as though the stucco should have been rounded off to blend it in to the neighborhood, the windows set more deeply into their frames like the largest of the ground-floor offerings. Still, there were some nice art in the railings, the arched window at the front and several on the second floor, a bit of fancy Mexican tile for a little pop along the thick privacy walls.

"It's nice," Lena said and Alex beat Lillian to the scoff.

"It's a very convincing façade, right? You should see the inside."

Really Lillian could have kissed the girl for acting as wingman and not even knowing it. Keeping her blasé veneer carefully about her, Lillian shrugged and said neutrally, "sure. Come in and see. It's a beautiful house and the new owner hasn't signed for it yet, so it's still Gary's. I'll be a few minutes and it's cooler in there."

Cooking in the August heat was no one's idea of fun, so they followed Lillian up the sun-warmed brick entryway past swathes of hearty green grass to the wide gate at the front. It was blackened wrought iron with a sheet of steel welded to the back of it to impede curious eyes. It was as freshly painted as the painfully white house looming around them. There was a small courtyard there with heat-hardy plants in pots similar to the ones along the front of the house. There was a bit of fancy structure built in above the double front door and the big window kitty-corner to it. With the same single key Lillian had used on the gate, she unlocked the slightly ornate front door.

Striding in, Lillian drifted off to the left and pretended to rifle through her purse as though looking for something. The sisters herded Lena with them and they all gawked around.

"Wow," Alex commented softly, her voice both echoing in and being absorbed by the huge space. "I haven't been over here in ages. I barely recognize it."

"Yeah, the roof was off when I was here last," Kara added. "I can't believe how beautiful the ceiling is with all that paint stripped off!"

The grand entryway lived up to its name, open to the roof soaring two and a half stories above them, ringed with an open, arched walkway and more ornate wrought iron. A massive staircase ascended the wall before them to top out over a grand arch with two huge wooden doors behind it. Here, in this room, the house became a properly grand hacienda, elegant and opulent.

"It's furnished too," Alex noted of the nearby hulking antique captain's chest and the small seating arrangement perched on the old, closely-fit stone block floor.

"It was still on the market until a bit ago," Lillian replied. "I told Gary a furnished house always sells better, so I'm assuming these are all rentals."

"Pretty fancy rental," Alex added suspiciously and toed the huge Persian rug older than all of them combined. Lillian knew the history of the antique and had chosen it from her own stocks. It had never had a perfect place to hold court over until this space.

"One has to dress a set to fit it, Alex," Lillian teased and Lena grinned to hear the familiar advice used lightheartedly. "If Gary had thrown down shag and a couple of bean bags, no one would have walked past this front door."

Alex couldn't argue that and the little sisters snickered at her comically disgruntled face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I admit I stole 'Cervix du Soleil' from a fave comedian, but it was too perfect.


	8. Welcome Home

"Ah here we are," Lillian said triumphantly, whipping out an empty envelope from her purse. "I'll just leave it in the courtyard since that's where everyone gravitates to anyway."

It had taken some fancy engineering to get these doors perfect, but both Gary and Lillian were satisfied with the end results. Special pneumatic hinges would respond to a push to hold the heavy doors in either the open of closed position and they could be locked with carbon steel pegs that would pop up into corresponding holes in the frame. No thief would find easy pickings in this house!

But the security system knew Lillian well and the doors swung open, smooth and dramatic, to reveal the best part of this place. And the ten foot wide doorway was more than large enough for all four of them to get a good view.

"Wow," Alex said. "I seriously wouldn't have even realized this was the same place if not for that awesome old tree. "Hey, Kar, check it out! The pool's repaired and even filled!"

The sisters scampered over to the pristine blue waters of the fancy little pool and matching hot tub sunk into the courtyard's brick deck. Lillian followed at a more sedate pace, leaving Lena to wander down the short flight of wide steps, past the outdoor bar and the triple arches separating pool and hot tub and holding up the large deck above.

"This looks like a movie set for something like Evita," she quipped and burst into giggles when Alex pounced on her. Sweeping her girl into a dance hold, she twirled her around on the old bricks, singing in that lovely voice of hers.

"Don't cry for me oh my Lena!"

"Idiot," Lena murmured into kissing her girl quiet, but the romantic moment was broken up when she noticed the thing that had really sold the whole sneaky project. Beyond the great sea of brick lay several large trees and smaller cousins and a good-sized park of sparkling green grass that Lillian knew was the septic field for the house.

And on it sat a cage. A huge cage worthy of any zoo, an entire tree truck twisting up the center to the peak, a shallow pond at its base. On the other side of a plain brick building lay a slightly smaller space, an old brick structure of some mysterious origins carefully gated and roofed in, perches scattered about its space.

"Are those aviaries?"

"They came out nicely, didn't they. Come over here, Lena."

Almost reluctantly, the younger Luthor child did as ordered, almost startling when her mother put both hands on her shoulders.

"When your father died, myself and your brother did not do right by you and we regret that more than you will ever know. I'm sorry and I can't make up for it, but I can ease some of your stress in the best way I know how." Her quirk of smile was melancholy. "In this case, the money is only a tool to buy you some peace of mind, dear. You can let go of the worries about Hugo's noise, he will have all the space a domesticated cockatoo could ask for, with plenty of room for some companions if you wish. The house is quiet and large enough for others to live with you for company and to help out."

"You bought Gary and Dave's place," Kara gasped and then clapped her hands over her mouth, looking sheepish.

"She did," said an unexpected voice and Gary himself stepped out from around the corner of the left wing of the house. The old hippie had been the Danvers' neighbor since they had moved when the girls were little. It had been his dandelions that assisted in the sweet seduction of Alex and Lena. And his lifelong partner had passed away just months ago. "I almost didn't let her, the corporate warhorse, but your folks persuaded me, girls, and I don't regret it, because your Lena there is a good egg."

On cue, the Danvers parents joined him with warm smiles and Eliza spoke gently. "Welcome home."

"You mean it?" Lena asked disbelievingly and for once, Lillian didn't hesitate, but pulled her into a hug.

"I absolutely mean it. There's a realtor here just waiting for you to sign some papers to make everything official. But first, are you up for one more shock?"

That finally made the sisters step up, crowding into Lena in stout support. Lena's pitifully hopeful expression and tentative nod became a beatific smile when, sure enough, the absent Lex himself joined the Danvers folks. He looked as hangdog as a cartoon character, but brightened at his sister's obvious joy in seeing him.

"Hey, Mouse, sorry to--"

Her flying hug knocked him right back into the thick grass behind him.

\----

A couple of bottles of champagne took off a bit of the shocked edge and mellowed everyone's mood. Since Jess and Sam couldn't make the little party due to prior commitments, there were short congratulatory phone calls. Lena put Sam off until she could go over the place and make it as safe as humanly possible for Ruby, but Jess was another story.

"Do you think, once you're done with this project that's had you so busy, that you might come stay with me?" Lena all but begged Jess, her eyes beseeching over the video link.

"From everything I've heard about your new place, you can count on it, pal. I'll be back before the week is up and we can all get settled in and get you ready for the new school year, okay?"

"I look forward to it. I've missed you."

"Miss you too, L."

No one pressured Lena to look around or sign papers while she basked in having her family close and wandered over to admire the spaces built especially for her demanding pet. 

"This thing has to be thirty feet across in both directions! And half that tall!"

They'd stepped into the aviary via the caretaker building that would also act as insurance to keep the escape artist where he should be. It had doors to both aviaries and a little kitchenette and plenty of storage space and even a desk. There wasn't as much quarantine area as Lena might have liked, but she had more than enough space to make all the modifications she wished.

Looking back at the house, she could see the open porch the others had been hiding in earlier, a cooking area and built in fireplace making it look very inviting. Overhanging it was another open area with large, striking arches. A stunning staircase of terracotta treads and beautiful Mexican tile risers led up to a frosted glass door.

"Think there's a bedroom up there?" Alex murmured suggestively in Lena's ear and she soaked up the familiar attention. There was something so… grounding about her, in spite of a school schedule even crazier than her own.

"Wanna go see?"

Giggling like little kids, they fled the others and raced up the stairs to find the door open. The anticipated bedroom was a nice, airy space with wood floors and lots of windows. That wasn't what made Alex say, "what the fuck is that?"

It was the bathroom that made her say that. 

The neighborhood and some the design of the exterior of the big house gave away strong hints to its age. The riot of black and blood red tile-- with white grout even-- was a dead giveaway. It could have been from the 1930s or the 1970s, but the bathroom was wild in any era. Black floors, toilet, tub, trim against blood red wainscoting some five feet up the walls really drove the point home. The tub held court in its own arched alcove, mirrored on the far side. The stepped down walls that hugged the tub were fancied up with gold-stenciled black tiles even gaudier than their unadorned brethren.

"It sorta begs for some sheik to be lounging about, huh?"

Lena had to laugh at Alex's sass, gesturing around and adding, "do you think the white paint helps or hurts the palette?"

"Baby, there's no mitigating this color scheme. Wow. This is going to take some getting used to."

"Yeah, no kidding. The shower's good sized though, and modern fixtures."

"And the bath is nice and roomy. We'll have to test them out later."

"Sweet talker."

Leaving behind the eye-aching bathroom, they wandered out onto the deck with the arches to find a gargantuan modular couch facing an elegantly simple stucco fireplace with enough room left over for a scattering of small furniture. There was a large ceiling fan to add to the cooling effect of the surrounding trees. Lena hoped she didn't like any of the other bedrooms in the house, because she felt right at home here.

The wall against the bathroom bore closet rods, but no doors, which was off putting, but there was also a rank of elegant built-in storage as they wandered down the hallway back towards the front of the house. A window opposite the built-ins showed the large deck that could be seen from the courtyard below and past that an entry door and a few strides found them in the grand entry hall, nearly at the top of the stairs. A variety of other doors ringed the open space behind the arches, all of them making Lena curious.

There was a slick and modern laundry room and another bedroom overlooking the street full of old built-ins and a gaudy fireplace that took up the entire far corner of the room. While Lena liked the soothing blue bathroom, more modern than the outrageous black and red vintage next door, she'd never be able to live with that fireplace.

"Kara'd love this space," Alex mused thoughtfully. "And it's huge to boot. Easy half again that first bedroom. You should ask her."

Startled, Lena had to stare at her. "What do you mean? Don't you two like being roomies?"

"Sure, but truth be told, I should get a little place closer to the hospital." Then her expression turned both sappy and sexy. "Besides, it's not like I'd be spending much time at our apartment anyway. Not with you here."

They were distracted from the tour with canoodling for a bit after that.

At the far end of the inner courtyard was the balcony seen from the street and a pair of slightly smaller bedrooms sharing a striking mauve bathroom every bit as memorable as the first one. And for similar mixed reasons.

Over the west wing they found another suite, this one with a classic sitting room and a very cool kiva fireplace. But the awful blue tiles in the bedroom were off-putting to Lena, though the pale aquamarine bathroom was nice.

"You love that first one, despite the wild bathroom. I've been watching your expressions."

Alex was right of course, and Lena grinned and hugged her tight. "I really do. Come on!"

They scampered back to the stairs and found the double doors to the deck. Leaning on the railing, Lena shouted, "Kara! Come up! You have to see this!"

Instantly excited, Kara scrambled from where she'd been lounging around by the pool and raced towards the front door, meeting them at the top of the steps.

"Come're, come're!"

"Golly," was all Kara could get out, clearly enamored of the big corner room.

"Will you take it?" Lena asked earnestly. "You'd make such a great roommate and this place is way too big for just me."

"Really?"

But Kara's instant excitement faded, though she was reassured by Alex's soft smile. "You know the commute is kicking my ass, Kar. We'll find me a little place by the hospital for on-call nights and I'll be here with you two all the others."

The crush of a hug made them all laugh joyously.

 

PS: Hey there, loyal viewers! After much whining at theillogicalthinker about all the badass pictures I collect that all of you never see, I figured out that a side blog to my Tumblr was my best solution. Everything there will be tagged by its story and/or collection. This one is under #hugo and #the 13 aus of christmas. Over time, I will be adding to the blog, because you know me, I love to share!

See you there.  
https://www.tumblr.com/blog/shatterpics


	9. Old and New and Mine

After Kara spazzed over the bathroom and all the storage, Lena made her go double check the blue room and she stuck with the first choice. In fact it was hyperactive puppy Kara that led the charge down the grand staircase and paused there.

"Y'know, this weird alcove thingie screams 'Christmas tree', right?"

The alcove in question was an open room with a large arched window facing the street flanked by some inset display shelves.

"Kara, it's August," Alex teased and Kara just snorted at her and went for the nearest door only to stop abruptly enough that Lena ran right into her.

In complete contrast to the old house around them, the space was a very modern and nicely appointed gym. There was a large piece of multi-use equipment straight out of a professional gym, a treadmill and stair-climber, but it was the small pool that really dragged them further into the room. It tapered slightly on each end and was centered in a large tiled deck about two feet high. A quartet of small, high windows let in a bit of light.

"Another hot tub?" Kara asked and Lena laughed and went to the control panel on the wall.

"Nope. I know what this is. Remind me to thank my mom for the foresight."

With a low rumble of machinery, the placid surface of the pool quickly became a steady current between the stainless steel grates on either end.

"Oh! It's one of those swim spa things!"

"Miss Kara 'I don't sleep, I work out' is in heaven," Alex crowed as her sister shoved a hand into the water to test the flow.

"Go for it," Lena said uncaringly. "I won't hear a thing on the other end of the house. Knowing Mom, this room is sound shielded anyway."

Beyond the pool was a bathroom and shower in a riot of color and pattern that still couldn't hold a candle to the first one seen. Beside it was a little alcove of a room with a queen-sized bed already in place with some nice storage. It could be shut away behind shutter doors for a little privacy from the gym and bathroom. A door led them to a wide hallway with a fancy fireplace flanked by glass doors where they could see their family and friends by the outside pool.

When Lena yanked open the double doors furthest from the pool, her smile was wild. "Gary! This place is magnificent!"

Her happiness eased some of the sharpness of his loss. Dave would have wanted someone to love this place as much as they had. "Good! Let me show you the kitchen, since it looks like you three are headed that way anyway. It's one of the least touched places in the house. At least visually."

Back to back with the guest alcove/bathroom/gym was an open room beside a doorway they could glimpse the kitchen through.

"There was more of this gorgeous old tile, but a lot of it was damaged being taken up to redo the pipes in the ground, which is now your gym. We probably could have redone in front of the fireplace, but worried about matching grouts and some nice hardwood feels good on bare feet sometimes."

No one could argue that. 

"Okay, so this room can be used for more formal dining, though we always had plans for just a little informal hangout spot since those bookshelves around the window look so inviting. But there's wiring in the ceiling for a chandelier to be installed. But come on then."

The antique terra cotta tiles, big beautiful, handmade squares of hardened clay shiny with lifetimes of wear and cleaning, marched them into the kitchen. The layout was nothing special, a moderate horseshoe of cabinetry and countertops with a large center island. But the striking floor and the magnificently beamed ceiling made it seem royal. A large skylight poured sunshine onto the island and handsome wrought iron hanging lights hung there and above the open field of tiles at the far end where a table and chairs would easily fit.

"It's all a mix of old and new in here, at least above the floors," Gary spoke softly in the presence of so many memories. "All the fixtures are new or refurbed vintage for longevity. The old skylight was a wreck and the whole center island had to be nearly completely rebuilt and all of the cabinet doors are custom to fit the built-ins over in the dining area there. Dave and I argued forever about whether or not this kitchen was big enough for a house this size."

"It seems pretty perfect to me," Lena added, just as softly. Part of her wanted to question his giving it up, but the ghosts were strong is his eyes and she understood that. "I promise I'll take care of it like family, sir."

And it was exactly the right thing to say.

There was a quick walk through of the east wing to see the magnificent formal living room and its built-in bar that matched the look of the house and a striking hand-formed fireplace of clay and brick. "It needs a pool table!" Kara crowed excitedly and the other Danvers might have cringed if Lena hadn't looked so happy with the idea. Gary explained that the old servant's quarters were pretty much just ripped out and the exterior walls modified to create a somewhat cramped two-car garage. On the other side of that was yet another empty room, this one with more of the beautiful old tiles, a glaring yellow and spring green half bath and the double barn doors leading to the covered porch with the fireplace and rudimentary kitchen and nice outdoor dining set.

That's where they found the realtor hanging out with relaxed patience. She was a pal of Gary and Dave's, a real silver fox and butch enough that Alex's soft butch looked like a plush toy by comparison.

After an hour, the rest of the party was getting bored and Lena hadn't even dove into the city's Historical House Charter. She urged them to scare up swimsuits and snacks and indulge in the beautiful courtyard during the heat of the day. Luckily, there was a big ceiling fan in the porch and the trees offered lots of shade. It was hot, but not intolerably so. Good thing too, because Gary had already explained the lack of central AC in the downstairs. There were only a few discrete units tucked here and there for individual rooms.

"There we go," the realtor said crisply and began sorting the stacks of paperwork. She must have a name, but Lena had no recollection of it. "These are yours to keep and I'll ensure copies of the less immediately pertinent papers get to you ASAP. Enjoy your new home."

Clutching her papers like a lifeline, a still shell-shocked Lena went to where Alex had sprawled out on one of the lounge chairs by the pool, the usual massive tome in her lap.

"This day didn't go at all the way I thought it would," Lena said, her voice deceptively normal. "I… I should get home… well I should get back to Hugo and--"

With a squeak, she allowed herself to be tugged down to replace the hefty medical book, the familiar cradle of Alex's lanky body instantly beginning to allay some of her stress.

"Hugo isn't going to like this new change," Lena fretted and Alex squeezed her hard enough to stop the words.

"Babe, it's okay. With you with him, he'll be fine. Tell you what, tonight we'll stay at your place, me and Kara both. Then tomorrow you bring the Big H to our place and our sibs can drag over his big day cage from your living room. It's on wheels, so it should be manageable. The both of you can stay with me and Kara until your things get moved, then we'll casually just bring Hugo to your new place here and his things will be waiting for him. With intent, there's no way we'll need more than a couple days to get it all done. And I saw how you eyeballed that room off the cool porch you just spent nearly three hours in. It's perfect to become his room, right? We'll get a couch or daybed in there so that you can be close until you're both settled in."

"I love you so much," Lena murmured as she snuggled into her girlfriend and felt the stresses of the day fall away. She barely noted how Alex stilled at the words. "You're so good to me, thank you."

"I love you too," Alex murmured around the ache in her throat and stroked softly over the tender place behind Lena's ear as she slipped off to a nap.


	10. Like Heaven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hugo's back! Let the flirting begin.

Mumbling sleepily, Alex stirred to life, automatically reaching out to find the warm body of her girlfriend. Nope, she wasn't imagining it, she was alone in the big bed. Cracking open tired eyes, she looked around the room, now decorated with Lena's things, walls a soft grey swirled with complimentary blues and greens to highlight and soften the terracotta tile floor.

They'd both been insanely busy the last couple months. Between the moves, school starting back up and just their normal chaos, they'd had to work to see one another at all. Last night had been a blessing. Grinning naughtily and stretching like a big, satisfied cat, Alex rolled out of the decedent bed and began hunting for something to cover up with.

It was still a bit of a novelty to open the door to the beautiful exterior stairs and head down in bare feet to pad quietly past the pool, the aged bricks a warm comfort on her soles. The double doors flanking in the kitchen were all thrown open to the peaceful morning and Hugo's usual commentary sang out from within. 

"There's my best boy!" she greeted him loudly and enjoyed the way the big cockatoo was instantly delighted to see her. Crest up and cheek feathers fluffed around the red skin patches, he warbled his 'hello' sound and whistled. Having learned to mimic him even better, Alex warbled back and he open his wings and head-ducked, clearly delighted when his favorite human did the gesture right back to him.

Lena turned away from the coffee prep to watch them indulgently. "I swear, I think he likes you more than me now."

Stroking over the crest feathers and tickling at the deadly beak, Alex left off the smaller of her companions and stalked over to the other. "He just has good taste."

Chuckling at the arrogance, Lena relished being pinned against the countertop and draped her arms around Alex's neck to greet her properly.

"He does," she purred against that smiling mouth and kissed away any reply. The only good part about their separations were the reunions. Still, they had been making it work so far and a whole weekend together sounded like heaven.

"Well, at least you're dressed," Kara sassed sourly as she slouched into the kitchen looking the tail end of a rave. Unimpressed with the interruption to the morning nookie, Alex just looked her dryly.

"Y'know, I'm going to do something x-rated in this kitchen just to scandalize you."

Unfazed by the sarcasm, Kara just squinted at her. "You mean you haven't? Why do you keep her again, Lena?"

For her contribution, Lena nipped Alex hard enough to earn a noise halfway between pain and nothing Kara ever needed to hear from her sister.

"Oh, she has her uses," Lena drawled suggestively and pushed Alex away with a single finger. There was a sexy swagger to her step as she strutted away to gather Hugo up and clip on his jesses before carrying him into the warming sunshine. After a pause, she could hear the stifled giggling of the pair of them and relished the homey sound. 

Lena loved this place, the age and space of it. She and Hugo had flourished like never before, full of sunshine and peace and togetherness.

A pair of familiar arms wrapping around Lena were a welcome distraction, Alex kissing sweetly at her neck. "You look so beautiful standing here in the sunshine without a care in the world."

Glad she could keep a grip on her pet with only one hand on the leash, Lena reached back to ruffle the reddish hair. "This weekend, I hope not to. Walk with us?"

"With pleasure."

Hand in hand, the young women dawdled the fifty feet or so to the caretaker house where the security system had already noted them and unlocked the door. It was a feature the whole Luthor clan was insistent on and had taken some getting used to. It was a sophisticated computer not attached to any outside system that monitored video/audio feed from dozens of places around the grounds kept watch on all entry points and everyone that entered its domain. It had even been set to keep an eye out for vermin, though Kara still had to deal with the squealing over the occasional spider or bee.

"Y'know, I've noticed he looks less… scruffy, than when I met him."

Alex commented on that as she pushed open the door for her companions. Lena grinned warmly and waited for the door to swing shut before letting an excited Hugo loose. "Good eye. Parrots get very bonded to their caretakers and Hugo is no exception. He and Dad were close, had been since they were both just sprouts. So, yeah, Hugo was upset and depressed and loud and molty, but he pulled through and is getting healthier and healthier. I think you might have helped with that. He really likes you, the showoff."

While she spoke, she grabbed breakfast for the pair of rescue lovebirds that kept Hugo company out in the aviary and went out into the smaller area. Almost immediately, the big cocky nearly bit her in his eagerness to climb into the jungle gym she'd carefully made of the enclosure. 

"Yeah, well, I like him too. I like his new human even more," Alex chuckled as she swiped the little dish of goodies for the lovebirds who had swarmed her, chattering their heads off. They were a pair of little female rosy-faced lovebirds live caught from a growing population of ferals in Arizona. Lena had tracked down a rescue group that had been thrilled with her large enclosure and sent along the pair. While not at all cuddly, they had grown to appreciate the big, lumbering monkeys that brought them good things to eat and mostly left them alone.

Alex carefully slid the dish into the privacy box built for the little birds that Hugo couldn't get into, and pulled out yesterday's leftovers.

"Sweet talker. Will you still like us both when the feathered menace can fly properly?"

The flirting got Lena the smile she craved and Alex gave her a quick smooch as she headed back in. "Of course! Though I might have to start being far more careful with my books and papers."

"Good call."

Lena gathered up supplies for the other aviary while Alex grabbed the pan and broom.

"So what did you want to do today?"

In the midst of using her legs to try and keep the chickens out of the room, Lena grinned naughtily. "Babe, the only reason I got out of bed was for provisions and pet care."

"My hero," Alex mock swooned.

With Hugo's wing feathers not yet grown back yet, the big aviary was a different project. Since it sat above the septic field and might need to be accessed one day, everything was technically portable or moveable. Various carefully chosen potted shrubs and trees dotted the space and sturdy branches and perches were carefully bolted to the cage at higher levels. A shallow tray lay in a depression scraped from the grass for a little pond. Right now, it was the chicken's domain and Lena loved the beasties as much as their exotic cousins.

The five mismatched chickens, all of them rescues as well, clustered around the crouching Lena and the dish of food to peck at it. She had convinced them all to accept being pet while they ate, gentling them to their new human. The big red one liked being cuddled like a puppy. Alex plied around the grass and bare soil to flick the chunkiest manure into the pan. It always amused her that inevitably the chickens trailed around after her hoping she'd scare up a bug or two. Lena drained the shallow pond and gave it a quick scrub and rinse before refilling it and they could leave the colorful flock for a couple hours.

"I've missed the sheik tub," Alex flirted as she once more kissed at Lena's neck.

"Oh, did you? Well we should get you acquainted again. How does coffee and a quick breakfast sound before we shut the whole damn world out for a few hours?"

"Like heaven."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When looking up some basic info on lovebirds, I stumbled over the info about the feral population in Arizona and decided to work that in.


	11. The Comfort of Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I had a bunch of little scenes left over and stitched them together hopefully semi-coherently. This universe was SO much more charming than I ever thought it would be and I'm glad so many of you loved Hugo and his family too.

As time passed, the house became more and more the fun, a personalized haven for the group of friends that fell together. 

There was plenty of fun, a few fights, late nights, early mornings and all the trappings of their lives all stirred up into a crazy melting pot. 

Kara went nuts painting her room in wild colors and patterns. Lena wondered if that's what the inside of her mind looked like. Then, as soon as the mixed families lay replete with a Thanksgiving feast for the ages, she was gearing up for an epic Christmas blowout. Happy to indulge in the going overboard, Lena threw herself in behind Kara's preparations, only putting her foot down in hiring a professional to do the draping lights from the edge of the barrel tile roof two stories above the ground. When she sweetly offered the two-person team an extra grand, they took on the big palm tree too. It was worth it to see Kara's over-excited reaction when she got home that night; going from weary student to hyper golden retriever in a heartbeat.

Kara was a lovely person, a marvelous friend, strong and dexterous and lively, but she was also an epic klutz when excited. And Christmas preparations turned her as excited as a toddler meeting their biggest hero. So no ladders or high places for her. Luckily, she was mollified by an internet order of decorations that required its own box truck to deliver. Strings of lights went on the railing of the front balcony, over the privacy wall, in every potted plant and window. They even dressed up the line of low bushes along the edge of the street, placing deer-shaped figures made of woven rattan and white lights to look like they were browsing amidst the leaves. 

When rain stopped the decorating of the courtyard, Lena gave in to Kara begging to paint something. While the stark white walls made a nice contrast to the beautiful tile and brick, her colorful touch taking over the space around the outdoor bar made it so much more personable. Lena liked it so much that she sicced her pal on the enclosed porch and promised she could do Hugo's room in fairer weather when he could stay out in the aviary for a few days. 

There was much melancholy through the holidays with Lena missing her father, but Lillian and Lex stayed in better contact with her and she was rarely without one Danvers sister or the other or both. When the end of January approached and the anniversary of Lionel's death, they would not hear of sending Lena off to New York alone. Loyal and loving, the sisters accompanied her to stand shivering in the snow beside his grave and watch over the grieving family.

Despite the sad occasion of her visit, Lena enjoyed being on the familiar ground of the city that had nurtured her… but it was no longer home. She was glad to climb onboard a plane, snuggle into Alex's shoulder, and head cross country to the hacienda and Hugo. 

More rescue birds joined the noisy flock and even a couple lazy bunnies from the animal shelter. They nibbled grass and weeds and shared the fresh veggies Lena shopped for at fancy organic stores and grungy farmer's markets with the chickens. Gary liked her enough to bring over much of his own produce for human and animal alike. The random dandelions were also still a hit with Hugo.

In return, Lena plied the old hippie with the fresh eggs left in corners and crevices of the aviary by the chickens. Rich and tasty, they were a welcome treat for everyone. Alex relished the mornings she would find Lena, hair in a messy bun in the kitchen of her so very extra hippie commune in a tank and tiny shorts, cooking her own home-grown eggs and shaking her thang to the playlist on her phone.

They even managed to defile the kitchen in the best ways a few times and gross Kara out with playful hints to the details. 

There was a local bistro the household quickly came to love. Not just because the food was excellent, but because they had an outdoor patio with a pleasant corner table protected from passing pedestrians by tangles of pea plants. And, on slow weekday afternoons, the staff had no issues with Hugo accompanying his humans. With the attention he always garnered from strangers, the location allowed Lena and Alex to control strangers approaching. It was good for his socialization and his humans got to gush on and on about him.

The trip to the zoo was even better.

For a 'working date' of sorts, Alex and Lena hit the zoo, where Lena doggedly tracked down one of the bird specialists down to nag her for any tricks or tips for her little flock. Pretty soon the entire staff of five was fawning over the adorable college student. Alex might have been jealous is Lena hadn't been completely oblivious of it. Everyone seemed to fall in love with Lena but her priorities remained Hugo, her other feather babies, Alex and Kara.

Always happy to natter on about Hugo, Lena was thrilled when the zoo staff begged her to bring Hugo by. "We've never had a palm! Can we meet him pleeeeease?"

So Lena and the Danvers sisters gave up a sleep-in Sunday morning to pack Hugo into his cool little wheeled cage and went to a specially-arranged visit before hours. 

"Oooo!" Kara gushed on and on as they passed through a barely-marked gate opened by a security guard. "We get to go backstage!"

Hugo's visit was a huge hit, even the vet staff coming by to fawn over him and his cute family. Alex hovered protectively, because, well, Alex. And Kara took a billion pictures. The zoo staff nearly swooned when Alex brusquely shooed them off when Hugo suddenly became agitated. With much flirting and pets, she calmed him until he cuddle into her chest, and Lena went nearly blind with her hearteyes. 

Kara never could figure out why Hugo never took to her. Oh, he tolerated her, but was generally unimpressed even with the offer of a treat. She would have done her best to buy his affections with endless treats, but knew Lena would kill her and do away with her body. It drove her crazy to not be liked by everyone, least of all her best friend's pet bird!

Lena watched the byplay of sulky, pouting Kara with only her chin propped on the table while Hugo strutted around on one of his indoor perches and nattered at her. It was too cute for her to take seriously. "Kar, I swear I think he's just messing with you. He's crazy smart and twenty years older than both of us. Just stop trying so hard!"

Alex walked in at that moment, sending Hugo into joyful flirting that Alex sweetly rewarded with cockatoo conversation and a few pets. "You can't be everyone's favorite," she teased her grumpy sister.

The usual blasé attitude had Kara sitting back in her chair to gesture wildly. "How can he love you so much! You're like the human embodiment of grumpy cat without your coffee!"

"He's like a cat. No matter how much he rants and shows off, I just laugh and give him a pet. He likes a challenge, don't you, big boy?"

Though when he chewed up part of her thesis and destroyed a three hundred dollar medical book, Alex couldn't even come home to Casa de los pájaros for a week, she was so livid. Uni profs didn't give a damn about the cocky that ate her work and it took some real effort to replace the destroyed notes. Once caught up, she returned and deliberately acted as though nothing had happened. After all, she could hardly blame the bird!

Lena had installed a classy blackboard and a bucket of chalk just inside the door. It read, 'A working list of House Rules for visitors:  
#1- You don't live here. Hugo and his caretakers do. Please act accordingly.  
#2- MAKE 10 COPIES OF YOUR WORK PEOPLE. AND A DIGITAL BACK UP.'

That last sentence was in Kara's handwriting.

Before finding her loved ones, Alex added, '#3- Don't get mad at him if he destroys things. Shit happens.'

Lena would be forever grateful and adoring at how Alex handled the whole mess.

Southern California's cool winter warmed to spring. To keep the big aviary cleaner and drier, Lena hired a contractor to build an enormous umbrella-like structure atop the cage that overhung the edges by a couple feet. The center was darkened polycarbonate panels that radiated out to clear to allow shade and sun both while keeping the wild bird poop away from her feather babies.

Everyone continued to dote on Hugo while he settled fully into his new home and slowly grew back his beautiful plumage. There were a few little hiccups, but a talented exotic veterinarian doted on the lad and he continued to improve. 

Alex collected the largest of his molted feathers for Kara to do something creative with. There were tail feathers and the wing feathers and a few of the arching quills of his fancy headdress. Even a few small ones found clean and fuzzy were added to the collection and Kara poured over them for ideas. Her artist's brain was intrigued by the puzzle of the sweeping black feathers.

The day Lena took Hugo over the large aviary was a banner day. On a quiet, cool morning in spring, she let him finish his breakfast and then casually walked him over to the larger space. Great care and fun had gone into both aviaries, but they each had different intents. The small one was better for climbing, crowded with perches and branches and platforms. The big aviary had a variety of low-lying shrubs, a couple of airy, potted trees and branches secured to the cage high overhead. 

The big aviary was for flying!

"Hey, buddy, would you like to try this?"

Almost as though he understood, Hugo hesitated a moment before grabbing at the central tree trunk at Lena's shoulder, testing it with beak and feet. As eager and reluctant as a child trying something new, he would climb a bit and then look to her for reassurance. 

At last atop the tree truck on a jutting branch, his crest brushing the roof fifteen feet up, Hugo looked around in something that might be wonder. After a bit, he must have heard something and called out his hello sound, fluffing up with pleasure when Alex whistled back from the house.

She looked a little startled to see him there, atop the tree in the big aviary, and smiled fit to burst. 

"Well look at you, Hugo!"

Unsurprisingly, he waiting for Alex to step in and join Lena before making a half flight and half dive-bomb onto them, fluffed up and screeching with terror and pride at his adventure.

Within a few days, he was a joyous streak of black and red zipping about the big cage. 

Over the winter, Lena had gotten installed ranks of raised planting beds to mostly subsume the useless grass. They started at the edge of the brick deck, marched right along the edge of the septic field and the old fruit trees surrounded by slabs of broken concrete, and right up to the aviaries. As the weather warmed, the great boxes came alive with seedlings and then brilliant green foliage with colorful flowers that became a riot of produce.

"Are you growing those vegetables specifically for your birds?" the sisters teased. 

"My feather babies have to eat right!" Lena protested primly and the sisters just shared 'awwwww' looks, then rolled up their sleeves and helped.

Lena hadn't expected to find growing her own vegetables and fruit to become such an important part of her day. The process relaxed her enormously, and kept her close to the aviaries for extra periods of time. Once the seedlings matured enough, she put up a fence just sturdy enough to keep the chickens in and accepted a few lost tomatoes and peppers and such in exchange for bug patrol and a steady supply of poop to turn into the soil. 

The sisters agreed that Lena gone rich-girl homesteader with her choked planting beds and her spoiled, adoring flock of chickens was the cutest goddamn thing to ever live. 

Alex found a new hobby in training Hugo tricks. It started when he was molting, often cranky and tired with the huge effort of growing feathers. Like any good nerd, Alex read up, started simple and worked within her partner's parameters. Sometimes, the lessons could go for nearly an hour, often just ten or twenty minutes. Sometimes, Hugo would just glare.

It was simple things at first, walking from Alex's shoulder down her extended arm, then back again. Then they added a bow, then a walk from one upraised hand, across Alex's bowed neck and over to her other hand. Lena and Kara were always an appreciative audience and Hugo always got a little treat and much affection.

With effort, their second Halloween together saw Hugo trained to wear a little bandana and a diaper that looked more like a striped t-shirt. He sat on Alex's shoulder and every time she would "Arrrrr!" he whistled sharply and croaked out a fairly convincing, "pieces of eight!"

Understandably, they were a huge hit to every kid that came to the door to beg for candy.

Kara found a bit of time here and there to volunteer with a nearby wildlife rehabilitation program, determined to find a small creature that didn't unfathomably find her disgusting. She found her soulmate in lamed-wing crow who could climb like a very slow squirrel. They hit it off because the bird was a goof who would hang upside-down and photobomb anyone with a camera or smartphone.

It didn't take much effort for Kara to convince the organization that the smaller aviary was a perfect match for Edgar. She also didn't tell her housemates and had her camera handy to catch Edgar hanging from a perch at eye level like a bat, startling the hell out of Alex.

"Oh my god, Edgar! You scared the crap out of me!"

Kara laughed too hard to get the picture.

And happily, nearly a year after moving into Casa de los pájaros, Lena got the call she had been hoping for.

A female black palm cockatoo had been offered by a rescue group in Las Vegas. She had been found amidst the assets of a captured criminal and was healthy and reasonably well socialized. It took a few days to arrange for the road trip, but Kara found the time to go with her. Alex sent them off with hugs and admonishments to drive careful and they made the long trek through the desert.

She was a pretty bird, her plumage a gray paler than Hugo and her cheek patches not as red as Lena would have liked.

"Let's see if some sunshine and good food perks you up, huh, pretty girl?"

By the time they returned to Los Angeles, she had piped up with a few tentative whistles in response to their talking and the friends had agreed that the name Sadie suited her. 

With it being summer, Hugo had no problems being left out in his big aviary for long periods, often overnight. So his room had been scrubbed in preparation for the smaller cockatoo that would hopefully become his companion.

Luckily it was the end of summer vacation and Lena split her time between preparing for the last few classes she needed for her degree and working with her new pal. Sadie was quiet, but she ate readily enough and a trip to the vet showed no indication for worry. Hugo's nearby chatter intrigued her, and eventually she called back.

Setting up Hugo's old large cage where the brick deck met the planting beds gave Sadie a place to hang out and get used to the outdoors and all the sights and smells and sounds. 

With time and patience and a careful eye on her beloved birds, Lena was successful in slowly introducing them. By Thanksgiving, they perched side by side on the tall piece of tree in their habitat and sang and sang and sang.

As time went on and she grew closer to the families she'd been born to and then fell into, Lena's heart felt like their song, light and constant.


	12. Random Bonus Missing Scene

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I had been rambling on about the house and realized that I was doing a tour. In fact, I was a tour guide for years, so there ya go. Wrapped a bit of story around it, because that's what I do, and got the rough of this chapter. Put in a couple more hours work to clean it up and stitch everything together, and here you are, the random bonus missing scene!

It started with a phone call.

"This is Lillian Luthor."

"Mrs. Luthor? My name is Jeremiah Danvers and I'm a professor at your daughter's college."

The unexpectedness of the introduction instantly distracted Lillian from her work and her voice was tense. "Is something wrong?"

The man's voice gentled. "Nothing directly school related, no, but Lena is showing stress and my daughters, who have both befriended her, are concerned. Your daughter is an excellent student and extremely resilient, but frankly, my family would like to help her out."

It took a moment for that to sink in. Leave it to her wild spark of a cub to befriend a bunch of do-gooders. A smile curled her mouth in spite of herself, though her voice was laced with a hint of scorn.

"You mean that creature. The bird."

There was a long pause where Lillian could almost hear the man thinking. When he spoke again, his tone was more careful. Adaptable. Good, she appreciated that. "Yes, Hugo is part of that. We've all just gotten very attached to her and want to help."

Baffled as to what he was getting at, Lillian barely found something to say. And she always had something to say.

"That's very admirable, Professor Danvers, but what is it you require from me? Lena is a grown woman who hardly needs my permission for anything."

After another long pause, Jeremiah spoke again, but there was a softer edge. "Mrs. Luthor, she's your daughter. I had hoped perhaps you had a suggestion."

The snort that escaped Lillian did little to ease the stab of pain from the words. "I assure you, Professor, that Lena and I have little in common but name and her brother."

"You could change that."

A fierce need to lash out at the gall of this complete stranger flared up in Lillian, but she paused as his voice gentled even further, the voice of a loving parent.

"I understand. My girls are handfuls too. And there have been times I swear they were aliens left with us, they could be so incomprehensible. Eclectic, driven overachievers the both of them."

Impossibly, Lillian found herself leaning back in her chair, lost in memories of the girl child she had never really understood.

"Stubborn?"

"Mule-headed. Especially my eldest. She'll have her MD two years early."

"A wild, creative spark hard to keep up with?"

"No wonder she gets along with Kara. Only my wild youngest could figure out how physics and painting make sense. With enough engineering mixed in that no one in the family even asks any more. We suspect she does it just to mess with us."

More impossibly, Lillian found herself chuckling. "They sound fascinating. No wonder Lena was drawn to them."

"Oh no, their meeting was completely accidental. Hugo escaped and Alex found him. I hear she was completely emotionally melted down."

Part of Lillian wanted to ask him when that had happened, but really shouldn't she know? There was always an excuse to stay away, to not deal with the pain of loss that Lionel had left behind…

But who had been helping Lena?

"Jeremiah you said?"

"Yes."

"I'm Lillian. It's a pleasure to meet you. So, yes, what can we do to help my daughter, because you're right, I need to step up."

\----

The first meeting with Gary had been pretty much exactly what Lillian had expected. The old hippie was completely unimpressed with her corporate rich bitch self, but she didn't take it at all personality. Everyone had their own version of armor and an all-to familiar pain was fresh in his eyes. 

"I dunno, Jer. That house meant a lot to me. I'd hate to hand it off to the wrong match, no matter your vote of confidence. No offence, lady."

Lillian felt the curl of a wry grin on her face and did her best to be honest past her social conditioning. "No, I am exactly the sort of ugly corporate shark you hate, Mister Unwashed Hippie. However, my socially conscious, goody-two-shoes tiny whom I'm beginning to see how she's been right about a great many things, is exactly the sort you would get on with famously."

Neither of them had expected the little spark of empathy and Gary actually chuckled. "Fair."

"Just remember the dandelions, Gare," Jeremiah coaxed and the older man huffed at him.

"How can they be related?"

"I ask myself that about Kara in particular all the damn time!"

Despite her efforts to keep a neutral expression, something shone through and it softened Gary just a little bit more. "Alex would pluck the dandelions out of my yard to take to your girl and that bird of hers. When I met her awhile back, she was just the nicest little thing. Has your eldest thoroughly twitterpated, Jerry."

"That she does. We all love her, she's a great kid."

The two men eyed Lillian expectantly and she fought not to bristle or pull her hard mental armor around herself. Look how well that had turned out…

"I think… that I have never appreciated the differentness in my daughter. I'd like to try and change that."

For long moments, Gary just eyed her shrewdly and she found herself wondering what he had been long ago. There was a definite hint of the familiar to him. Smirking faintly at the moment of connection, Gary nodded decisively. "Alright then, come see it."

Hippie he might be, but Gary was clean and kept his things well maintained. The old Volkswagen was nearly as old as he was, but it was nearly immaculate. Lillian appreciated that and relaxed into the short drive. 

"The property was built in thirty-three and thirty-four and the neighbor went a bit south back in the nineties," Gary rambled as he drove through tree-shaded neighborhoods. "Went through some bad owners that wrecked it but good."

"Yeah, I remember how excited and horrified you and Dave were over it," Jeremiah added in, voice gentle.

"My partner," Gary explained gruffly, never looking away from the road. "Lost him in March."

"January," Lillian added quietly and another layer of tension dissolved. 

"So we picked the property up in a police auction for a song and got to work. Lotta good times and stresses and laughter and tears here. Cashed in the blood money from my rich family I despise, figuring it was fitting. Here we are."

Blinking away her own memories of her lost Lionel, Lillian stepped out and admired the large, plain white house, trimmed at the windows in a soft blue and capped with a barrel-tile roof. Pleasant enough, certainly large enough for Lena and a perhaps a roommate. By the look of the well-off neighborhood around them, there ought to be a good-sized yard at least.

"The outside pretty much stayed completely unchanged. Frankly, we didn't want to call attention to the property. The more dirt ordinary it looked, the better. It was the only thing I agreed with the former owner on."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, this place was in police auction because it was taken in a raid. It was infested by a crack manufacturer, junkies and pot-heads. Thankfully, they didn't managed to blow the place up, though there was some mild fire damage in a couple places and it took some real work to get rid of the smell."

"Sounds horrible."

"You have no idea." There was a whole novel of disgust in Gary's voice that he shook off and gestured to the house. "The majority of the wrought iron on the entire property has been replaced. Some of it was salvage, which I always want to default to, and the rest was matched by an artist. Frankly, it's nearly impossible to tell. Roof's new too. It was the only way to fix the ceilings and get the place buttoned up. Most of the tiles were reused if they were still strong and undamaged. Fortunately, getting salvage on them is possible in LA. But you're really here for what's behind the front door."

Lillian approved of the light hand of the bas relief built right into the walls, the European feel of the tiny balcony above and just to the side of the front door where some potted plants would flourish. 

After fiddling at the doorknob and a keypad, Gary gestured his guests in, stepping in beside them to quietly soak up their gawking admiration. The ghost of his Dave was smug from every corner of the glorious grand entrance. 

"It's amazing, right? Like your own personal courtyard indoors. The ridge beam and trusses are original with about four exceptions. It's all the natural aged color and we had a guy match the new beams and it took him about four months to do it and nearly drove him insane. But they blend right in. Sealed with natural oils and waxes. All the paint in the place is non-toxic too. Because why the hell wouldn't I?"

"It's amazing."

Lillian's admiration was not feigned. The space was stunning and yet maintained a certain sober elegance that grounded it away from being too over the top. Jeremiah whistled and pulled out his phone to start recording. "It's amazing. I hardly recognize it."

"The stair treads had to be completely replaced due to wear and damage, but the risers were surprisingly intact under the usual decades of paint. Yeah, every wooden surface in this place was suffocated under about 12 layers of paint, each more eye-aching and toxic than the last. Getting it all off was no joke. Tons of lead paint, asbestos in nearly every wall, termite damage galore. It was quite the process. Actually, if you come over here to the right, I'll show you what I mean."

Past the lower half of the staircase was a wing that stretched towards the rear of the property. The gorgeous floor of old fitted stone rectangles abruptly became raw concrete in several colors. The walls were the open bones of the structure, their surfaces torn off, ceilings open. Thankfully, there was the uneven cobblestone-like surface of handmade terracotta tiles beyond the roughness.

"We saved most of the tile we ripped up in here, and were damn lucky most of the plumbing issues we had to deal with were confined to this side of the house. But we never could figure out exactly what to do with this big space. It takes up nearly the entire east wing of the house. The biggest problem is matching updates to the look of the house. It just never looks exactly right. There's a bathroom upstairs that proves that. It's damn close, but just a tiny bit off the mark. Hard to explain the nuances, y'know?"

It was a huge space, easily running forty feet and nearly the that wide where an elegant fireplace stood between two doors. It was ripe with possibilities. The field of terracotta tiles was a plain space with some inset bookshelves around a window and a gorgeous beamed ceiling.

"So, this room can be a formal dining space, and there's wiring in the ceiling for a chandelier if you want to add it. With those bookshelves built in on either side of the window, it makes a nice little den too."

"Very cozy."

"And beside it is the kitchen. Dave and I debated for years on this space. It's really not big enough for a house this size in the modern day, but we finally had to just accept that there was no way to expand it and keep the aesthetics. And he was right about the exposed ceiling in here, combined with the terracotta floor, really does make the space a bit dark, but look at the ceilings. They're glorious. The skylight is it was, though all the hardware has been replaced. It leaked something awful and the entire island had to be replaced, as well as this central post. Fortunately, the cabinet maker did a fantastic job matching it perfectly as well as replacing every cabinet door because they were so dried out and flimsy. Obviously, the stove top is new and we yanked out the cabinet under it because it was just a mess and Dave wanted gas in here. Those shelves pull out and are far handier anyway. Everything is painted to lighten the room and the white covers up any differences in the woods used. I'm not fan of soffits, but it was the only way to get some proper wiring in here. And the refrigerator is garbage, but no one has actually been living here, so we just kept it for casual use. Oh, here's a neat extra. Inset on the back of the island here? It's a radiator, believe it or not. There's no central heating or air-conditioning on the ground floor. Just a few individual units where we could sneak them in here and there. The upstairs was mostly gutted and we could get ducts installed up there. And to be honest, no matter how hot it gets, between the trees and the air currents, it never gets as intolerable as you'd think on this ground level."

"The drawbacks of a historical property."

"Exactly. Okay, so on to the crown jewel which I'm sure has been catching your eye through the windows." With that same proud, melancholy smile he wore whenever he talked about the house, Gary threw open the French-style doors and led them outside. While his guests openly gawked, he breathed deeply and felt the ghosts of the place. When he did speak again, his voice was quiet and reverent.

"It was this that sold us on taking the responsibility of the task of saving this place. It was an unspeakable mess out here, but thankfully it was mostly garbage and weeds. For the sake of safety and termites, we had the bricks pulled up and the ground treated and leveled. Besides, I wanted proper water drainage for this poor old oak who somehow survived the hellhole this place had become. I suspect by the size of the thing that it was here before the house. They must have leveled the land downward and enclosed the tree in this great planter."

And what an astonishing old tree it was too, branches reaching out in all directions, ten, twenty, even thirty feet. The old tree held court in a huge, octagon shaped planter and provided lots of welcome shade in the courtyard. Against the house by the tree was an L-shaped staircase of unadorned concrete that Gary gestured at.

"That's one of the projects that hasn't been gotten to, as it remained structurally sound, if not boring and a bit ugly. I've collected a lot of tile, but not quite enough to decorate the risers. Frankly, it doesn't match everything and it bugs me, but that will have to be your project now."

"We'll be certain to send pictures," Lillian said wryly and it was the first truly genuine smile she and the old hippie had shared.

"One of the three full suites is up there. There's also a pair of bedrooms that share a bath, but we'll get to that. So that second flight of stairs, come over here and you can really get how gorgeous it is, was pretty trashed. Apparently, one of the residents took a sledgehammer to it, god knows why. So the treads are all modern terracotta, which honestly makes for better sealing against the elements, and those beautiful, fancy tiles on the risers? Yeah, all original or handmade replacements."

"A beautiful piece of art."

"So the back forty here is the giant lawn that's also the septic field. Which was also dug up and modernized. I could have put the property on the sewer lines, but it would have actually been as much hassle and less socially conscious. The tank is rated for ten occupants."

"Wow."

"With six bathrooms, that seemed a safe bet."

"Too true."

"That overgrown area over by the kitchen is pretty much as is, though I've had several gardeners and landscapers go over it, not just to clean it up, but to check for any dangerous drug paraphernalia left behind."

"It was really that bad?"

"It really was. I almost tore out that little building you can see tucked in the mess, due to the condition it was in, but we cleaned it up and left it for now. Maybe your kid can find a use for it. If not, it won't take much to tear out and put in more plants. Hey, you said your daughter has a parrot?"

"Yes. I wanted isolation and size for the beast."

"That weird structure against the back wall could make a nice aviary. I've never been able to figure out what it was for, but the walls are intact. Put a roof on it and a cage wall along the front and that's a lot of space even for a large bird."

Lillian toddled though the grass on her high heels to stand in the weedy gravel of the space. It was merely two walls jutting away from the brick wall that ran along the rear of the property. By the looks of the top surfaces, there had once been some sort of roof. The arched door made little sense, but did offer a nice aesthetic with its old wrought iron hardware.

"Perhaps a clothes drying area? These strange viewports to the area behind us could have been cross ventilation."

"Huh. I hadn't actually thought of that. Good guess. Oh, and it's an old alley back there, then a fence and the golf course. So, peace and quiet."

"I'm sure Hugo will have something to say about that. The parrot. Oh, what is that?"

Pointing back at the house, Lillian indicated what had caught her attention.

"Oh, that's a porch tucked under the suite above. Great right? We had to do so much reno on this end that Dave got really clever with it. There's sliding doors in the back that lead to a room on the inside and a fireplace built into the wall there. Another possible area to seal up for the bird."

"Indeed. There are some beautiful trees here. Do they interfere with the septic?"

"I had some mitigation put in underground and the field is outside of the drip edge, so it should be another fifty years before there's a problem."

"Excellent."

"There's three notable oaks, a handful of citrus and a bunch of random trees, as well as that huge palm in the front. So behind the double doors of the porch," Gary continued on, unlocking the doors to slide them apart like barn doors. "Oh, and that fireplace works. So, this room could be a social space or a guest room. There's a half bath over there that the pool has easy access to as well. The pool is admittedly small, but it makes for a nice place to cool off and there's a hot tub tucked behind the arches."

Down a hallway that ran alongside the courtyard, Dave opened a door to reveal a boring space with a pair of garage doors at the far end.

"This was some trashed servant's quarters we tore out and opened that wall. It's claustrophobic for a two car garage but a couple small cars should be able to manage. And over here is a fun treat. It's a dumbwaiter because the laundry room is upstairs. It seemed stupid to have it on the ground floor since everyone's living spaces are up there."

"Saves the back. Possibly even a fall. Smart."

Through another door had the front door over to their right and a huge set of doors to their left.

"There's a formal living room over there by the door with a nice corner fireplace. Through these doors is the part of the courtyard that is under the upper floor. Nice and cool out here and there's plenty of space for some loungey furniture."

"Is that a bar?"

"Yeah. We had aspirations of this being a hangout when we wanted the company. That big empty wall is wired for a TV and entertainment equipment that can be stored in the storeroom behind that's mostly tucked under the stairs. Speaking of stairs, shall we head up? There are several places that a pneumatic elevator could be installed with only a hole cut in the second story's floor. Not a concern for your college-age daughter, but something that lingered in my mind."

Lillian's heels clicked against the grand staircase and she was gratified to note they sounded solid all the way up. Behind the railings and arches that defined the open foyer, lay a walkway all the way around. Hanging a left, Gary opened a door and gestured in. 

"For some reason we couldn't find vintage that doesn't look stupid with modern washing machines, so this room is a bit more modern farmhouse, but it still works. We carved this and a full bath behind it out several weird rooms. Behind those doors is a bedroom with the fantastical old fireplace I couldn't bear to rip out. It's whimsical and a little fugly, but totally unique."

It was as described, a beefy corner fireplace resplendent in Spanish tiles next to a built-in bench.

"This is actually the largest room upstairs, but not the most luxurious."

They walked along the front of the house along a wrought iron railing that left the spectacular view of the entryway open. Lillian recognized the series of small windows that she'd noted from the street that led to a odd little sitting room sort of space and an exterior door. "The balcony we saw from the street?"

"Correct. So these three doors are two bedrooms that share the central bathroom. Due to the mauve tile and the utterly bizarre bathtub setup, we had this one on the list to be redone, but it's usable for now."

With the mention of the mauve tile, Lillian had to look at the space and marvel at the strangeness of it. "Yes, it's very… nineteen thirties. I wonder why they crammed everything in so tightly."

"I agree. So, you two go look at the suite there. I'll wait here."

He sounded strangled and his eyes were over-bright. Jeremiah, who had been notably silent as he recorded the tour, shut off his phone and gave his pal a hug. "We'll be just a few minutes."

"Take your time," Gary whispered and patted Jeremiah to be released.

"Lovely fireplace," Lillian noted as they went into the indicated suite. "The floor is very… tropical."

Jeremiah was sure his soft chuckle was now captured in his renewed recording. The mottled blue and gray tiles were trapped between looking like a slightly cloudy sky and just being tacky. He remembered how Dave had loved the things. It was the only furnished room so far, a king bed in an iron frame, a comfy modern chair alongside a couple small storage pieces and a hideous couch that screamed 'sentimental value'. 

"Oh, this bathroom is marvelous," Lillian admired and Jeremiah scrambled to catch up with her. "Nicely modernized while still fitting the house. Who knew the black trim would actually work with that lovely turquoise."

"This is the suite atop the unfinished stairs, by that great tree."

"Well, if I visit, I know where I want to stay."

That time, Jeremiah laughed for real.

Rejoining Gary who had composed himself somewhat, he led them to a pair of double doors near the staircase that led to a magnificent balcony. "We're directly above the hot tub and bar here."

"Love the drama of this space, I admit it. This balcony begs for Shakespeare or Evita."  
Lillian's quip actually got a little huff of amusement out of Gary, who led them back inside and down a hall that ran along the laundry room. "This is the fanciest suite. Partially because of that wild bathroom."

"Oh my."

It was a good reaction for the oversized bathroom, tiled in crimson red trimmed in black from about eye level down. The rest was gleaming white. There were three alcoves to their left, a toilet in the closest and a glass door at the far end that gave away the entrance to a shower. But the centerpiece was the great arch over a jet black tub with a mirror fitted to the wall behind it.

"There's something oddly grandiose about it. Like a sheik should be lounging about." (author's note: yes, I did steal this line for Alex. -chuckle- )

Jeremiah would have never expected Lillian's dry wit, though he did enjoy the little glimpses of what Lena had inherited from her mother.

The adjoining bedroom was a nice space with classy old built-ins, expansive windows and a long, skinny closet and a door that must lead to the gorgeously decorated stairs to the courtyard. "If I stay over, this is my favorite spot," Jeremiah quipped and his companions both chuckled.

Through a set of French doors was a deck tucked amid the oaks and other trees in the grassy yard, the roof overhead supported by arches all around and a heavy fireplace to one side. The weedy gravel alleyway could be partially seen from here, the weird brick structure that would make an excellent aviary, the big patch of lawn that could have another set atop it. There were trees all around, the city muffled at the edge of their hearing. Even the air smelled better here.

"I'm sorry that you did not get to spend the time invested here with your Dave," Lillian said quietly and noticed that Jeremiah had once again put away his phone. "You have my empathies. Lena inherited that noisy beast in losing her father. It was all very sudden and I'm afraid myself and my son didn't handle it well."

Blinking away tears, Lillian composed herself and turned back to her companions.

"This is a magnificent home, Gary. All it just needs is a bit of finish work and a properly dramatic name."

"Casa de los pájaros," Jeremiah piped up in clean, fluent Spanish. "It means 'House of the birds'. Not just Hugo and whatever other birds Lena might adopt, but you can hear the wild ones calling all over. A good sign."

Nodding approvingly, Lillian once more focused on Gary, her expression the gentlest they had seen yet. 

"I would like to purchase this place. It shows your care and is… quirky enough to appeal to my daughter. 

Gary and Lillian were as opposite as they could be and people that would not get along past the necessities of business. But Gary liked and trusted the Danvers, parents and daughters alike. Their word was enough for him.

"What are you offering?"


End file.
